


Refracted Light

by beautifulandsweet



Series: Next Adventure [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Legendary Pokemon, Ultra Space (Pokemon)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:21:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 38,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26591317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulandsweet/pseuds/beautifulandsweet
Summary: Ash returns to Alola to defend his championship title, and Goh stumbles into Team Rocket’s grandest scheme yet. Together, they must face vengeful enemies, Pokemon legends, and a gathering storm like nothing they have seen before.
Relationships: Gou | Goh/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum
Series: Next Adventure [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852231
Comments: 46
Kudos: 138
Collections: Firstfriend/Journeyshipping





	1. Lampent

Ash bounced on his heels. His students streamed past him toward the ball field. Everyone had been vibrating in their desks, nervous energy giving way to tapping feet and not-so-subtle glances toward the clock, so Ash had decided the best way to end the school year was one last round of Pokemon Base.

The kids deserved some fun. They had all worked so hard…. Ella’s Pichu had evolved last week, and they planned to explore Hoenn on their impending family vacation. Oliver’s battling skills had grown leaps and bounds. He and Marill planned to challenge their first gym over the summer. Mia, who reminded him of a miniature Goh, had bloomed from a shy wallflower into a walking encyclopedia, always rattling off trivia about her favorite Pokemon. 

In the past nine months, they had grown from a pack of half-feral hellions into confident young Pokemon trainers. Ash couldn’t have been more proud. He leaned against the fence, satisfied to watch the class divide themselves into teams. 

Pikachu fidgeted in his arms. Despite his initial skepticism, Pikachu had come to love the kids just as much as Ash did. Even now, with the sun shining and the kids laughing in the early summer breeze, Pikachu’s ears would twitch every time the kids raised their voices. With Pikachu watching over them, Ash doubted there was a safer group of kids in Kanto. “You’re going to miss them, aren’t you, buddy?” 

Pikachu huffed, but then a shout caught both of their attention. Oliver waved both of his arms. “Hey, Mr. Goh! Can Cinderace play on my team?”

Ash turned. If his heart had been full before, it came close to bursting at the sight of his partner. Goh must have stopped home first because he had exchanged the lab coat for a dark grey hoodie and a blue lei that brought out his eyes. Ash wanted to make fun of the fashion choice, but he looked so _unfairly_ pretty that Ash settled for staring in mute adoration. 

Cinderace had been carrying a bag for him, but at Oliver’s invitation, Goh looped the second duffel bag over his shoulder and sent Cinderace to join the line-up. Goh angled toward Ash.

Then Mia stepped in the way with hands on her hips. Her Smoochum mimicked the pose. “No fair! You can’t give the other team a ringer like that!”

Goh grinned. It was possible that he saw the resemblance to his younger self, too. He spared a wink toward Ash before crouching down to stage-whisper, “Well then, we better even out the teams, huh? You should ask Pikachu to pitch for you.”

Without so much as a glance up, Pikachu wriggled out of Ash’s arms to join Mia’s team. He stuck a tongue out at Cinderace, who made a “bring it” gesture with his paw. Ash laughed hard enough that his belly shook with it. Just what he needed, a second pair of rivals in one game!

As the two teams took up their positions, Goh joined Ash along the fence. He draped another lei, this one red, around Ash’s neck. “Congratulations on a successful first year, Mr. Ketchum,” Goh said. His tone was serious, but a smile played on his lips.

Ash wanted to play on those lips, too. He stomped down those feelings and forced himself to focus on something else… like the flowers around his neck. He brushed his fingers along the petals. 

“Thank you.” Ash breathed in the spicy, clove-like scent. He wondered where Goh had found such a thing outside of Alola. “Hard to believe we made it, huh?”

Goh nodded. The last nine months had been a whirlwind of changed routines, late nights, coffee runs, missed dates and make-up dates…. There had been so many times that Ash had worried over his kids or gushed over their accomplishments or woke up in the middle of the night, panicking over some mistake he had made, only for Goh to shove his head back onto the pillow and tell him to fix it in the morning. 

Somehow, they had adapted, even grown closer. Even now, Goh nudged their shoulders together and whispered, “I’m proud of you.”

If he kept it up, Ash would be forced to kiss him. 

Then Goh’s Rotom phone buzzed, and he checked it. “It’s the flight checkin. We’re leaving as soon as the bell rings, right? Going to be cutting it close.”

“Not like I can reschedule the tournament,” Ash said. He turned his attention back to the game unfolding. “Great timing, though, right? As soon as school ends, the Alolan League kicks off.” 

Pikachu took the pitcher’s mound, and little Ella stepped up to bat. Pikachu kept the pitch soft enough that she made it safely to first base. Ash cheered.

“It’s been a while since you’ve battled seriously,” Goh said. “Better hope you haven’t gotten rusty. The kids are having a watch party, you know.”

Pikachu struck out the next batter. They both clapped anyway. 

“Oh, they told me.” Ash grinned as he held up his wrist. That morning, the class had presented him with a paper bracelet decorated to look like a Z-Ring. They had promised to cheer him on from afar. If Ash needed any more motivation to defend his championship title, that would have done it.

Goh snapped a picture of the paper Z-Ring. “Oh, I’m texting this to Kiawe right now.”

Cinderace approached the mound. Pikachu narrowed his eyes and threw a fastball. It hit Cinderace square in the face-- the same way Goh had been smacked by a Pokeball so many times. Goh winced in sympathy.

“Easy there, buddy!” Ash called. “It’s a _friendly_ match.” Pikachu whined, but he threw the next ball slower. Cinderace kicked it into the outfield. 

Ash continued, “Kiawe’s been blowing up my phone for days. He wants a rematch with you, too, by the way.”

Two kids slid into home before Smoochum struck Cinderace out. Cinderace pouted, but he also patted Smoochum on the head on his way back to the bench. 

“We’ll see,” Goh said, voice carefully noncommittal. Ash’s head whipped toward him.

“Promise me you’re not going to spend the entire vacation chasing after a Wimpod.”

Goh’s expression hardened. “I can’t promise that,” he warned, and there it was-- that spark in his eyes, that drive that had attracted Ash in the first place. Goh might try to hide it under that “calm and collected” facade of his, but Ash wasn’t fooled. He could see that hidden flame, that determination to forever chase after stars, and found himself as fixated as a Mothim on a Lampent.

“What?” Goh asked. “Do I have something on my face?”

He shook his head. With the kids distracted, Ash casually reached for the lei around Goh’s neck and tugged him close enough for a quick peck on the cheek. “Just remembering how much I love you.”

Goh grinned. “Right back atcha.”

By the time Goh dragged Ash away from his goodbyes and rushed him to the airport, Goh needed a nap. Ash had the opposite problem. He buzzed with pent-up excitement. Goh kept reaching over to stop his knee from jiggling. 

Pikachu got tired of being bounced around and switched to Goh’s lap. He curled up with a big yawn. Goh idly stroked his tail, but the petting got slower and slower as Goh drifted off....

Goh turned in a slow circle. All around him, stars sparkled across an endless black sky. A cloud swirled around his feet. As he watched, an eerie light turned the cloud from purple-blue to red-orange to green and back again. 

Goh crouched to brush his hands over the mist. It was cold to the touch. When he sank his hand into it, he couldn't feel anything solid under his feet. Yet he didn’t fall. "Are you holding me up?" he asked.

Behind him, he heard a familiar giggle.

“With psychic powers,” Goh clarified as he turned. Mew tilted its head so far to the side that its whole body spun in a loose circle midair. Goh smiled. No matter how many times he had this dream, he could never get over the feeling of awe that came over him when he saw the mythical Pokemon. 

But it got better. Goh held open his arms, and Mew somersaulted into his embrace. Goh nuzzled his face against Mew’s velvety pink fur.

Then Mew patted his face with a paw and pointed toward the constellations overhead. Goh squinted. He never could spot the Pokemon shapes that Ash or Chloe might point out, and now was no exception. They just looked like stars. “Sorry, I don’t get it.”

Mew patted his face again, and the stars seemed to take silvery hue. Goh grinned as glowing images of Lugia and then Ho-Oh overlapped with the constellations.

Meeting Lugia had marked the beginning of Goh's journey. Come to think of it, Ash had seen Ho-Oh at the start of his journey, too.

"Is that what you're trying to tell me? Something about beginnings?" 

Mew giggled. 

_Don't be afraid._

The words echoed in Goh's mind as the atmosphere changed. Stars began to blink out one by one. Under his feet, the cold mist transformed into blistering flames. Grabbing Mew close, Goh scrambled from one foot to the other as his shoes caught fire. A silent scream caught in his throat as the blaze reached his knees, then his waist.

As the flames threatened to engulf them, Goh realized that he had no choice. He jumped into the darkness.

Ash shook Goh awake. “Shh, shh, you’re okay.”

Ash kept a hand on his shoulder as Goh gained his bearings. Harsh sunlight streamed in from the airplane window. Ash studied him with an intense gaze that meant Goh had been mumbling in his sleep again. Pikachu held a paw to Goh's arm, as if prepared to shock him awake if necessary.

"Sorry." Goh rubbed at his eyes. "How long was I out?"

"We'll be touching down soon," Ash said. "Same dream?"

Goh nodded. He had been having the same dream for weeks, so he didn’t bother to describe it again. “Wish I knew what it meant. Maybe I should ask Professor Burnet when we land.”

“That’s a good idea.” Ash tugged Pikachu back onto his lap and scratched the fur under his chin. “You know what? The way you talked about it… rainbows and stars and all… it kind of reminds me of Ultra Space.”

“You think?” Goh had heard Ash’s stories about ultradimensional travel and read the Aether Foundation logs, but he had never seen it for himself. "Something to think about... later. You have more important things to think about, mister."

Ash rolled his eyes, a silent "more important than you?" that charmed Goh more than he liked to admit. But he also took the hint and changed the subject. “Actually, I was thinking, if we can sneak away for a few hours we could take Rei up to the observatory and look for Minior. Ooh, or maybe we can try sled jumping..."

Ash continued to list more activities than they could possibly do in a week, but his voice soothed any leftover tension from Goh's dream. Soon enough, Goh suggested a few additions to their impractical list, and by the time the plane touched down, Goh was almost as excited as Ash to return to Alola. 

Their next adventure awaited.


	2. Octillery

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Goh peered up at the buildings with their green eaves, paper lanterns, and stonework facades. Between the cobblestone streets and the stylized Darmanitan statues guarding every other shopfront, Goh felt like he had stepped into a movie set in ancient Johto. “Flying into Malie City instead of the Hau’oli Airport.”

“Nah, this is great.” Ash slung an arm over his shoulder. “Look at that!”

Down the street, a giant banner welcomed visitors coming to see the Alolan Pokemon League. Underneath it, someone had set up a stall to sell specialty ballcaps to honor the tenth year of the tournament.

Ash had already bought three. Cinderace and Pikachu wore theirs with matching grins, but Goh wanted to pull his over his face. The leis had been flashy enough before Ash added commemorative headgear.

(“You didn’t buy one for yourself?” Goh had asked. Ash smirked, and Goh realized with some relief that he wouldn’t be forced to wear the hat all week. “Gotcha. We’ll share.”)

It didn’t seem to matter. Everywhere he looked, people streamed between souvenir shops, tried on colorful yukata, and took selfies next to every sign with an Eastern script. The whole city felt like a giant costume party, and it made Goh more than a little antsy. He reached up to hold Ash’s hand in place on his shoulder. 

“Still seems strange that they moved the tournament this year,” Goh said. “Why move it to the top of Mount Lanakila? It had to cost a fortune to change venues so close to the date.”

“Couldn’t be helped,” Ash said. He tugged Goh sideways to avoid some kids chasing a Rockruff down the sidewalk. “Manalo Stadium was damaged in that freak cyclone last month. The Aether Foundation couldn’t make all the repairs in time, so they’re using the old stadium.”

“The old stadium?” Goh peered around to make sure the chase was in good fun. It was. The kids caught Rockruff half a block away, and the puppy rubbed its fur all over them.

Ash grinned at the sight. “You remember how I took the island challenge? Traditionally, trainers would end their challenge by battling each other at the summit. Now they hold Battle Royal matches up there.” 

Ash trailed off, took a deep breath… and veered toward a food stand where an Octillery speared breakfast balls onto wooden skewers. Goh grabbed after him. “Ash, wait! We’re meeting Kiawe for dinner, remember?”

“We have time for a snack! Trust me, you’ll love these!”

“Seriously…” Goh watched Ash join the line and immediately start chatting up the person in front of him. “He loves this tacky place, doesn’t he?”

It made sense. Ash had always cared more about having fun and connecting with people than about looking cool. That was part of why Goh had fallen for him in the first place, so he couldn’t complain about it now.

Cinderace threw up his paws in a “what can you do” gesture. Then his nose twitched, and he tilted his head back. Goh followed his gaze. Dark clouds gathered overhead, but there was something else up there, too. Something flashed between the clouds… something small and fast.

Goh held up his phone, ready to zoom in, when thunder cracked. He and Cinderace both jumped. Cinderace pointed out a nearby archway, and they took shelter just as the rain started. Goh waved to Ash, waiting in line under an awning, and Ash waved back to let him know that he saw them. 

As the rain went from a sprinkle to a steady downpour, more people crowded under the arch to wait it out. Cinderace’s ears swiveled as he listened to the surrounding conversation. Someone wondered aloud if there would be another cyclone, and someone else worried if the island guardians were angry.

Goh exchanged looks with Cinderace. The tone had gone from celebration to concern way too quickly, and just from a bit of rain? He supposed it couldn’t be helped. The news had been chock full of natural disasters lately: earthquakes in Hoenn, rock slides in Sinnoh, forest fires in Kalos… all in the last month or so. 

Goh had a hunch that the disasters were all connected, but he had no evidence. He had been banging his head against the metaphorical brick wall for weeks. He was actually looking forward to a break from his fruitless search for clues. For just a few days, Goh wanted to focus on his silly boyfriend instead of his research.

As the sky darkened, yellow lanterns lit up all around the city, including a tall pagoda in the distance. Curious, Goh held up his phone, and Rotom read out, “The Malie Garden observation deck was modeled after Bell Tower in Ecruteak. Tourists can view the entire Malie Garden from the top of the tower.”

Goh squinted. He couldn’t see much resemblance between Bell Tower, with its shabby exterior and stairs that creaked ominously underfoot, with the glowing tower in the distance. Maybe it would look different when the rain let up.…

Goh was pulling up a weather map when someone gripped his shoulder. He looked up and froze.

Eyes like coals flicked down to him. Deep lines framed grim lips, and silver feathered his hairline. Giovanni had aged since the last time Goh had seen him, but there was no mistaking his sinister presence. “Funny that we should cross paths again, little collector.”

Goh swallowed hard. Cinderace bristled at the man towering over his trainer, but Goh shot him a warning look. If they started a fight now, Goh had no doubt that they would lose. Given the crowd around them, he also had no doubts that they would not be the only ones hurt. Their only chance was to stall until Ash returned.

“What are you doing here?” Goh asked.

“Staying out of the rain, of course.” Giovanni leaned in to whisper, “The better question is, did you really think Team Rocket was finished?”

A shiver ran down Goh’s spine. No, he didn’t.

“Goh?” Ash had collected his food and started over to the archway. On his shoulder, Pikachu shifted into a ready crouch. 

“I’m sure we’ll meet again.” With that, Giovanni released him and melted away into the crowd. Goh spun, trying to keep an eye on him, but it was no use. 

Cinderace touched his shoulder. “Ace?”

“Yeah, I’m okay.” Goh scrunched his face up and took a deep breath. He willed himself to calm down.

“Goh, you’ve got to try these!” Ash returned with a heaping plate of Octillery’s breakfast balls. Pikachu turned his head from Goh to Cinderace and back again, but his trainer had not noticed anything wrong yet. Ash’s red lei was smooshed from the plane, and his paper Z-ring had crumpled a little, but nothing had dimmed that thousand-watt smile.

Goh knew he had to warn him about Giovanni, but he couldn’t bring himself to take his smile away just then. He could let Ash enjoy himself for a few more hours and tell him later tonight. 

So he plastered on a smile. “You’re going to spoil your dinner,” he chided, but when Ash held out a skewer, Goh took a bite.

Okay, Goh had more than a bite. By the time he and Ash reached the restaurant, they were both soaked and uncomfortably full. That didn’t stop Ash from ordering enough food to make Goh look green at the gills. “If you don’t eat it, I will,” Ash assured him.

Goh rested his forehead on Ash’s shoulder. “Have I been starving you? Do you have a hollow leg? _How_ can you still be hungry?” Ash laughed and pressed a kiss to Goh’s hair.

Across the table, Kiawe rolled his eyes at them. “Come on, down to business. Time to strategize! We already know some of the big names in the tournament this year. There’s you and me, Hau, Gladion, that little punk Tristan…”

"Ilima and Kahili," Ash added. 

"Yep, all of you out-of-towners..." Ash bristled at the comment, which only encouraged Kiawe. “Well, no matter. A born-and-bred native’s going to take the title this year.”

“Dream on.”

Ash easily fell into the old argument with Kiawe, but he kept one arm wrapped around Goh. Maybe the Octillery balls had been a mistake after all. Goh clung to his side and slowly sipped his water. Did his stomach hurt? 

Kiawe noticed Ash’s divided attention. “Ugh, lovebirds. You won’t be winning any battles when you’re this distracted. Better throw in the towel now, Ketchum.”

Goh stiffened under Ash’s arm, but before he could question the response, the waiter returned with their food. Pikachu, Cinderace, and Kiawe’s Marowak dug in with gusto. Ash’s mouth watered over the plate of sushi in front of him. 

He offered a piece to Goh first, but Goh pulled a face. “I blame you. Still too full.”

Kiawe leaned forward. “Anyway, Goh, what’s new? Still working with Professor Cerise?”

“Yep.” Goh explained the work he was doing on his Aura Reader. He had been fine-tuning the app for months, and it could do all sorts of things: detect the use of aura or psychic power, scan for wild Pokemon and Shadow Pokemon, and even guess the strength of a Pokemon’s friendship with its trainer. There was just one problem.

Every time Goh checked the Aura Reader in Alola, he got the same result. Goh opened the app to show them the bold-lettered error message. “How? How can an entire region be out of range?”

“Too bad Sophocles is studying abroad,” Kiawe said. “He’s a whiz with stuff like that.”

“That’s right. He’s staying in Mossdeep, right?” Ash appreciated the time with Kiawe, but he couldn’t help missing the rest of his friends. Professor Kukui, needed for last-minute preparation before the next day’s events, had taken his family up to the summit that afternoon. Lana was helping Mallow at her family’s restaurant, Lillie and Gladion had business at the Aether Foundation, and even Kiawe’s new girlfriend, Meredith, had been called into work at the last minute.

Kiawe seemed to read his mind. “Everyone’s so busy these days, huh? But they’ll be cheering us on tomorrow. We have to do our best.” He held up his glass.

Ash clinked the glass with his own. “We always do.”

After they reached the hotel, released all their Pokemon, and changed into dry pajamas, Ash and Goh both belly-flopped onto the mattress. Aside from Pikachu wedged between them, Ash’s other five Pokemon arranged themselves around the room: Dragonite stretching across the cushy rug by the bed, Incineroar and Lycanroc claiming the couch, Lucario offering to split the roll-out with Cinderace. Gengar had disappeared completely, and so had Zee. That was a little concerning, but Goh had other problems.

Namely, that Ash noticed Goh rolling an empty Pokeball between his hands. He recognized the nervous gesture. “Okay, talk. What did I miss? Did I do something dumb?”

“What? No.” Goh set the Pokeball on the nightstand and rolled sideways to peck Ash on the shoulder. “I have to tell you something, and you’re not going to like it.”

As expected, when Goh told him about seeing Giovanni, Ash fumed. “Goh, you gotta tell me these things when they happen.”

“Sorry.”

Ash rolled to his feet and dug through his discarded clothes until he found his phone. “Okay, I’m going to call Kahuna Nanu. He owes me a favor, so maybe he can keep an eye on you tomorrow.”

“Keep an… Ash!” Goh grabbed his elbow. “There will be thousands of people in that stadium tomorrow, and I’ll be surrounded by our friends. I’m as safe as I’ll ever be.”

“Right, because the leader of Team Rocket, who tried to kill you six months ago, didn’t pick your face out of a crowd when we’re thousands of miles from home, in the _five minutes_ I left you alone…” Ash sat on the edge of the bed with his hands steepled in front of his face. “You know what? I can’t take you anywhere.”

Goh laughed. “Yeah, you have no room to talk.”

Ash shook his head, now grinning. “First Pikachu, and now you. I just can’t have nice things.”

Goh heard the hysteric tone undercutting Ash’s joke. Rather than let it build, Goh slid closer to fold their hands together. “Hey. Pikachu’s still here, and so am I. Don’t let this throw you.” Pikachu chirped an agreement.

Ash sighed. “I’m being a jerk, aren’t I? I should be the one comforting you.”

“Mm, that’s okay.” Actually, seeing Ash worry had tamed Goh’s fears. How could he be afraid with the champion of Alola hell-bent on his safety? Goh yawned. “Come on. You have a big day tomorrow.”

“Bigger than today?” Ash grimaced. “I hope not.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple Easter eggs from the games in here. For the record, I actually like Malie City, but the anime made it look like such a tourist trap. Next chapter, we dive straight into battling!


	3. Mightyena

Ash stepped into the stadium, and all his doubts faded away. The crowd roared as competitors flooded onto the pitch. On his shoulder, Pikachu almost vibrated with anticipation. Ash felt the same way… fully charged and ready to go.

On his wrist, he had wrapped what was left of the red lei and the crumpled paper Z-Ring. He had the real thing in his pocket, but he wouldn’t need it for the qualifying round. 

Spread across the field, he spotted Kiawe and Turtonator, Gladion and Lycanroc, Hau and Decidueye. He also spotted some unfamiliar faces, too, including a tall redhead with a Pyroar and a pair of bearded men with Mightyena. Despite the rain that had threatened to delay the shuttles, there had to be a hundred competitors.

On the far side of the arena, Ash spotted Burnet and Rei leaning over the rails and cheering like crazy before the battle even started. Behind them, Lana, Lillie, and Mallow crowded around Goh. Someone else might have been thrilled to be surrounded by pretty girls like that, but Goh looked about as comfortable as a Pidove among Purrloin. He met Ash’s eyes across the arena.

Ash bit down a laugh. It wasn’t the girls who were making him uncomfortable; it was the police officer resting his feet against the back of Goh’s seat. He could only imagine what Nanu had said to ruffle Goh’s feathers, but Ash was sure he would hear about it later. For now, he had to focus on the present.

From the sidelines, Professor Kukui lifted a microphone and announced the rules for the first round, the Battle Royal that would decide the Top Sixteen. “Crowd, let me hear you Roar… and let’s Gear Up for an Outrage-ous good time! Contestants, give it your all in three, two, one…”

“Ready, Pikachu?” Pikachu crouched on his shoulder, prepared to launch into the melee.

“Battle start!”

The qualifying round started with a bang. A Passimian tried to get a jump on Kiawe’s Turtonator, and the explosion obscured half the field with smoke. “Pikachu, stick close!” Ash crouched, relying on Pikachu’s ears now that he couldn’t see anything. Sure enough, a Trumbeak rocketed toward them out of the cloud. Ash dropped down at the same moment that Pikachu leaped up and shot out a Thunderbolt.

By the time the smoke cleared, Gladion’s Lycanroc had swept away the Passimian and two other contestants. Kiawe yelled at him to get out of his way. “You’re welcome!” Gladion yelled back and dashed after Lycanroc to pick off some more trainers

“Pika pika!’ Pikachu called Ash’s attention back to the battle in front of him. An Emolga swooped over them. Pikachu caught it in an Electroweb and finished it with an Iron Tail. 

After that, a towering Exeggutor tried to slam Pikachu with Dragon Hammer, only for Pikachu to knock out its legs with a Quick Attack. Exeggutor slammed into the ground hard enough that Ash almost lost balance himself.

“Nice job, buddy!” Pikachu raced up to Ash’s shoulder for a better view. They shared a grin. “Who’s next?”

Goh leaned forward in his seat, hands clenched in front of him. He saw the Exeggutor swing its long neck toward Pikachu, only for the tiny mouse to use the momentum to his advantage. “Classic Ash,” Goh said. He grinned as Ash and Pikachu pitted themselves against Palossand. “See that? That trainer thinks he has the advantage with a Ground type, but wait ‘til Pikachu hits ‘em with an Iron Tail!”

Beside him, Rei bounced in his seat. Even with his shock of unruly hair and neon-green Pikachu shirt, Rei looked like a miniature Kukui. In his lap, Ash’s Rowlet snored through Rei’s enthusiastic cheering and fist pumps. “Yeah! You can do it, Ash!”

A sandaled foot kicked the back of Goh’s seat. “Pipe down, you lot. Kiddo’s not doing anything we haven’t seen a hundred times.”

Goh scowled back at Nanu. The police officer had slouched into the seat behind him after everyone had sat down, so Goh didn’t have a chance to move. Goh still didn’t know when Ash had made the phone call or what favor the kahuna was repaying, but it was obvious that the kahuna would rather be anywhere else. That much they had in common.

Lillie twisted her hands as she watched the tension building between the pair. She tried to distract Goh. “So what’s new at Cerise Lab? Are you still studying artificial Pokemon?”

“Not anymore, sorry.” Goh felt vaguely guilty, since Lillie had allowed him to study her Magearna last fall. “My research was... interrupted.”

Lana leaned forward from the seat on Lillie’s other side. “Team Rocket?”

Goh nodded before focusing on the battlefield again: Palossand fainted, and Pikachu shocked an Arbok that had tried to sneak up behind him. Yes, when Team Rocket attacked Cerise Lab, Matori had taken a file box containing most of his research into manmade Pokemon. Goh had digital copies of everything that had been stolen, but he let everyone believe that was the reason he dropped the project. He kept the real reason to himself.

As Professor Cerise had taught him, some mysteries were better left in the dark.

Burnet, who had been leaning across the railing to cheer for the handsome referee (“Still acting like newlyweds,” Lana had whispered to Goh earlier), dropped back into her seat. “So what’s next then?” she asked. “Another app? Maybe look into distribution like Professor Willow?”

“Actually, I’m looking into weather patterns.” Goh winced when Gladion’s Lycanroc took an Aqua Jet to the back. Lycanroc rolled away from the Brionne and blocked the next attack with Counter.

“Like the storm that wrecked Manalo?” Rei’s grin looked so much like Ash’s that Goh’s heart twinged. “That’s so cool!”

Goh was definitely going to brag about doing anything that rated as “cool” to Rei. Ash was right. The kid had all of them wrapped around his little finger.

Nanu was less impressed. “What’s so interesting about a bit o’ rain?”

“It’s not just rain,” Goh said, twisting around. “Some Pokemon only appear in certain weather conditions, like Lugia or Cursola.” He didn’t add that he worried what kind of Pokemon could be expected to appear after the recent spate of natural disasters. 

Now wasn’t the time. Goh had lost sight of Ash. Cinderace, standing tip-toed at the railing, pointed him out. Ash and Pikachu had been cornered by a pair of Mightyena. Rei frowned. “I don’t recognize those Pokemon,” he said. 

Goh passed over his Rotom phone so Rei could check his Pokedex. “Mightyena, the Bite Pokemon. Mightyena chases down prey in a pack. Its power derives from its sharp fangs and perfect teamwork."

The two Mightyena circled around Pikachu. First one and then the other growled and flattened into a crouch. Goh edged to the front of his seat. “This isn’t good. They’re going to attack at the same time.”

Ash said something to Pikachu, but it was too far away to hear. One Mightyena darted forward and got a mouthful of Thunderbolt. The other circled around and leaped with fangs bared.

Instead of Pikachu, Mightyena crunched down on Ash’s arm. 

Goh was out of his chair, hands on the railing, before he knew what he was doing. Cinderace caught him by the elbow at the same time that Pikachu crashed into Mightyena with a Quick Attack. Ash’s butt hit the ground. Furious, Pikachu finished off the attacker with a Thunderbolt that lit up the arena.

Blood dripped off Ash’s arm, but he gritted his teeth and struggled upright. Pikachu continued to spark with electricity… as the ceiling lit up with holographic fireworks.

“That’s it, folks! We have our Top Sixteen! All competitors please exit the arena!” Professor Kukui handed off his mic and rushed to Ash’s side. 

For a split second, Goh truly considered leaping over the railing to get down to Ash. Then Burnet tugged his arm. “This way,” she said. “Lillie, you take care of Rei. I’ll be right back.”

Burnet led Goh out of the stands and through a side door he had missed on the way in. He followed without question. He was vaguely aware that Cinderace and Nanu had followed them, but he only had one thing on his mind.

When Mightyena bit his arm, Goh had seen the moment Ash’s face had dropped all expression, like a slate wiped clean, before scrunching back into focus. Ash was in serious pain, and Goh had to find him right now.

Ash had never broken a bone before. It was surprising, really. He had been knocked around, thrown off cliffs, electrocuted, drowned, turned to stone… but he never broke a bone until now. 

Nurse Joy held up an X-ray for Professor Kukui, but Ash had trouble focusing on anything other than the pain pulsing up and down his arm. He sat on the edge of the hospital cot and focused on breathing. Chansey had bandaged the bite mark and snapped on a temporary splint, but Nurse Joy recommended that he return to Malie City for a proper cast. 

Pikachu clung to his good arm and watched the door with unusual suspicion. Ash could understand Pikachu feeling extra protective, but when Kukui reached toward Ash with hand, Pikachu warned him off with a zap. “Stop that. You know the professor.” Pikachu ignored Ash and continued to stare down the professor.

Kukui stepped back with a sigh. He rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry this happened. I’ll have a talk with those two trainers, but it won’t change anything. You’ll have to forfeit.”

“No.” Ash stared at the floor. He wished the painkillers would kick in already because he was having trouble keeping his face straight. “My Pokemon can still battle. I won’t give up on them.”

“Ash, be reasonable,” Kukui said.

“That’s a tall order.” 

The familiar voice drew Ash’s attention. Suddenly Goh was in front of him, hands cupping his face. “How bad is it?” he asked.

Ash didn’t answer. He heard Nurse Joy repeating her recommendations, Burnet and Nanu asking questions, and Kukui doing his best to fill in the blanks… but Ash hurt too much to deal with it all. 

He didn’t want them to see him like this. He must have scared everyone… Kukui and Burnet, Rei, all of his friends in the audience. Ash never wanted them to see him like this.

Then Goh’s hand moved from his cheek to the back of his head, and Ash found his face pressed against the front of Goh’s shirt… hiding Ash’s tears more effectively than Ash could have done himself. 

“Can you give us a minute?” Goh asked, and Nurse Joy herded everyone out. 

As soon as they were alone, Ash sagged against Goh and wrapped his arms around his waist, dragging him still closer. Goh put up no resistance. “Oh, hon, I’m so sorry. You’ll feel better soon.”

“You don’t know that,” Ash whined. Goh chuckled softly and began to card fingers through his hair. Ash sank into the embrace, letting Goh hold him upright. At his side, Pikachu had relaxed and accepted a pat on the back from Cinderace.

“They want me to drop out.”

Goh’s fingers stopped, returned to Ash’s jaw, drew Ash’s gaze up to his face. “Do you want to?”

“No.” Ash reached down to place a hand on Pikachu, who leaned into the embrace without hesitation. They had come all this way. Ash couldn’t let his Pokemon down by quitting now.

“Okay then. We’ll figure it out… later.” Goh pressed a kiss to Ash’s hairline. Ash buried his face back into his shirt, Goh rested his chin on the top of his head, and there they stayed until Ash felt whole again.


	4. Pyroar

Nurse Joy returned to check on Ash, and Goh stepped outside the door. The last twenty-four hours had been a whirlwind: Ash’s last day of teaching, traveling, seeing Giovanni, Ash’s strange comments last night, and his injury today… Goh needed a minute to catch his breath.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

Across the hallway, Nanu slouched against the wall. His hands fidgeted around a Rubik’s cube. “So, you done kissing his boo-boo?”

Goh bit down the first snarky reply that came to mind. He had no idea why Ash trusted this shady-looking guy, but the last thing Ash needed right now was Goh picking a fight with a kahuna. “Yes, I am. Did you need something?”

“Yeah.” Nanu pushed himself upright with his shoulder. “Your statement, actually. You said you saw Giovanni?”

Beside Goh, Cinderace turned toward the stairwell. Goh heard them, too: Lana, Mallow, and Kiawe, probably with a few others. Of course they would want to check on Ash. Goh glanced down at his hoodie, still damp from his boyfriend’s tears. Ash had calmed down enough that he would welcome his gaggle of friends, but Goh felt exhausted by the thought of dealing with them all right now.

Nanu sighed. “Come on, this way.” He led Goh and Cinderace through a labyrinth of hallways beneath the stadium until they came up to the main lobby. Spectators mingled in front of registration and through the line of souvenir and food shops to either side. Nanu found an out-of-the-way table and gestured for them to take a seat.

Goh told him everything about his encounter with Giovanni. There wasn’t much to tell-- the whole thing lasted only a few seconds-- but Nanu insisted that he repeat the story twice.

“See, that doesn’t make sense.” Nanu leaned backward, balancing his chair on two legs. Cinderace looked like he might try to emulate the pose until Goh placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Giovanni’s not one to scuttle out of the woodwork to make idle threats. He’s sneakier than that… a chess master, working behind the scenes. Why risk revealing himself just to scare a punk like you?”

Goh had asked himself the same question. “It might be coincidence.”

“Explain.”

“If he wanted to scare me, Giovanni knows where I work, where I live.” And that was a terrifying thought. After Team Rocket had attacked the lab, Goh had worried about leaving his Pokemon unprotected again, and he only agreed to come to Alola after Inteleon volunteered to keep an eye on everyone. “What if Giovanni is targeting the Alola League? There are plenty of strong trainers, rare Pokemon… and if he recognized me, he would recognize Ash.” 

Ash, who was not only the region’s champion but also the long-time target of Team Rocket schemes… and the one who led the International Police to Team Rocket’s doorstep a few months ago.

The thought sent Goh’s heart racing, hard enough that Cinderace’s ears twitched. “Ace?”

Goh flashed him a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Nanu’s eyes flicked from Cinderace to Goh. He dropped his chair back onto four legs. “I don’t buy it. If the League were at Manalo, sure, might pick off a few tough Pokemon… but that’s grunt work, not enough to draw the big boss out of hiding. Mount Lanakila, though? Tougher terrain, tougher to take. Not worth the trouble.”

Goh had to admit that Nanu was making sense, but… “I didn’t see him here,” Goh realized. “What if he was after something in the city? Anything on Ula’ula Island, really. With everyone distracted by the League…”

“Ah, what a hassle.” Nanu stood and tucked his Rubik’s cube away. “I’ll look into it. Well then, better get you back to your pals before you give me any more work.”

Goh got a glimpse then of what Ash saw in this guy. He could see the gears turning behind those heavily hooded eyes. Goh had seen that look a thousand times: when his parents worked through a tricky bit of code, when Professor Cerise discovered a new behavior among Pokemon, even when Ash came up with a crazy strategy mid-battle.

Goh smiled. “Thank you, Kahuna Nanu.”

“Yeah, yeah…” 

Kiawe cast a scathing glare at Ash's cast. "Don't think I'll go easy on you in the finals."

Ash chuckled. Mallow, fussing with the strap on his sling, was less amused. "Is that all you can think about, flamebrain? So not the time!"

No sooner had Nurse Joy cleared Ash to go had his friends crowded around him. Kiawe and Gladion had raced over straight from the arena. Hau appeared soon after with Lana and Mallow. Somewhere between the arena and infirmary, Hau had found Tapu Cocoa for everyone.

One cup still sat in the carrier. Lana told Ash that they had not passed Goh on their way in. That was worrying, but Ash found himself distracted.

Gladion leaned against the wall with his chin tucked against his chest, so utterly still that it was hard to think that he was the same person who had been hurtling around the battlefield earlier. "Hey, Ash, did you recognize those goons with the Mightyena?"

"I don't think so." Honestly, Ash hadn't gotten a good look at their faces. "Probably crossed paths with them at some point."

"It was weird, right?" Lana held up a finger. "They singled you out. You might not have noticed, but it was obvious from the stands. They had to battle across the field to reach you."

Hau sipped his cocoa. "Well, that's not so surprising. Ash is the reigning champ. It's a sound strategy to take out your toughest opponents early in the competition."

Kiawe frowned. "They weren't the only ones. Did you guys notice that guy with the Pyroar? He made it to the next round-- Ellis, I think?"

Ash nodded. The tall, red-haired trainer had reminded Ash of someone, but Ash didn't think they had met. Ellis was too young to pass for that other Pyroar trainer.

"He was headed your way before the battle ended." Kiawe smirked. "What, did you go around making enemies since last year?"

Ash said nothing, but on his lap, Pikachu heaved a sigh. 

Lana zeroed in on Pikachu. "Oh? Did you make some enemies? I thought you were a boring schoolteacher now."

Mallow finally finished adjusting the strap on his sling. "Ash?"

"Well..." Ash had told them, briefly, about Team Rocket's attempt to steal Goh's Pokemon. He hadn't wanted to worry them, so he kept most of the details to himself. "Last night, Goh ran into Team Rocket’s boss. That's why I asked Nanu to stick around today."

"Team Rocket? It's been a while since I heard that name." Kiawe folded his arms. "Way to give us a heads-up."

"I'm sorry." Kiawe waved off the apology, and the others took the news in stride. Sometimes Ash forgot how amazing his friends were-- unflappable and unwavering in their support. This was why Ash kept coming back to the islands. "Man, I love you guys."

Mallow matched his smile. "We love you, too, you dope."

Gladion shook his head. "So, everyone keep an eye out for shenanigans, I guess. We better be heading back. They'll be announcing the first round matches any time now."

Ash squirmed in his seat. The Top Sixteen matchups had been announced, the first competitors had stepped into the arena, and still Goh was nowhere to be seen. Nanu hadn’t reappeared, either, so Ash tried not to panic. 

Rei distracted him by trading Rowlet and Pikachu. Pikachu protested until Rei set to work massaging his tail. Pikachu melted on his lap. Ash idly poked at Rowlet’s belly, but the little owl continued snoozing without acknowledging that he had moved at all.

“He’s a busy little bird anymore,” Burnet said from her son’s other side. “Rei’s so much like his dad; Pokemon follow him home all the time. Rowlet has a way of shooing them off with no hard feelings. Imagine if we tried to keep them all!” 

Ash raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have to imagine it. You forget who I live with.” Burnet laughed. 

Rei perked up. “Hey, Ash? Do you think Goh could catch me a Meowth from Kanto? My neighbor has one, and it’s so awesome!”

“Why don’t you just ask me? I’ve been catching Pokemon longer than he has,” Ash pointed out. 

Burnet cracked up over Rei’s doubtful look, but then he shrugged. “Okay. Can you catch one for me? Pleeease?”

This wasn’t the first time Rei had made such a request, so Ash expected it when Burnet’s laughter quickly turned to a frosty warning look. Ash grinned. “Well, your tenth birthday is coming up. We’ll see.”

By then the loudspeakers announced the first match of the next round, and Kukui introduced the competitors: Ellis and Pyroar versus Kahili and Toucannon. Rei squeezed Pikachu into a tight hug. “Look, it’s Touckey! Isn’t he the coolest?”

Kahili took control of the battle right out of the gate. “Tailwind!” Toucannon flapped his wings to kick up a whirlwind.

Across the field, Ellis braced himself against the wind. If Ash squinted, the trainer reminded him of someone he’d faced in the Kalos region, albeit with less hair… but Lysandre would have been twice this trainer’s age. “Pyroar, use Flame Charge!”

Pyroar arched his back and wriggled his hindquarters. His mane flared larger than before as he rushed forward. Toucannon dodged the attack and slammed Pyroar back to the ground with Drill Peck. 

Rei cheered, but Ash leaned forward. “Wait. Look at that.” As Toucannon lifted away, embers trailed behind him and dissipated on the wind that he kicked up. “See the scorch marks on his feathers? That’s Will-O-Wisp!”

Kahili crouched, just as if she were sizing up a golf green. “Touckey, look for an opening and use Beak Blast!” The colored sections of Toucannon’s beak began to glow.

“Another Flame Charge!” Pyroar dashed forward faster than before and struck Toucannon in the chest.

Toucannon’s beak glowed orange as it cried out. In the same moment, Pyroar’s mane flared still larger as it roared. Beak Blast met Fire Blast in midair.

Just that fast, Pyroar dropped to the ground. The royal Pokemon landed on all fours. Toucannon’s wings faltered, and he dropped like a stone. Kahili held out a Pokeball and called her Pokemon back before he hit the ground.

The crowd erupted. Over the mic, Kukui announced, “And the winner is Ellis! Whoo, talk about a Heat Crash!” On the field, Kahili shook hands with the other trainer, but then Ash noticed something strange. When Ellis stepped away, Kahili’s face crumpled… not in frustration, but confusion. She watched Ellis and Pyroar walk off the field side-by-side.

Only then did Goh lean over the back of Ash’s seat. “Did you see that?”

Ash jumped. Rowlet almost rolled right off his lap. “When did you get here?”

“When the match started,” Goh said. Cinderace and Nanu had also snuck in without Ash noticing. “Pay attention. That trainer’s Pokeballs, did you see them?”

“No. What about them?”

“They’re purple.” Goh frowned. “Those are Master Balls.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, thank you so much for the comments! They are so encouraging, and I love reading them. You guys are the best. <3
> 
> Second, large casts are so hard to write. I'm still trying to figure out how to include everyone's characterizing moments without slowing down the narrative. I'm officially in awe of all the other fanfic writers who have written stories including the whole Alolan crew.
> 
> That's all for now... next chapter, Goh's curiosity gets him into trouble, and Ash is frustrated by his injury.


	5. Morelull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter-- I've been sick all week. On the mend now. Chapter got fluffier because I needed more comfort than angst tonight.

“Those are Master Balls.” Goh had no doubt. He watched the trainer walk off the arena and recall his Pyroar to the unmistakable purple Pokeball. 

Gladion butted in immediately. “There’s no way. Do you have any idea how many safeguards Silph Co. has put in place to protect that technology?"

“I know that,” Goh said, but Gladion wasn’t the only one to speak up. 

“Maybe they’re ball capsules.” Burnet twisted in her seat. “Those are popular in Sinnoh, right?”

“But--”

“That has to be it,” Kiawe said. “Man, that’s lame. Trying to intimidate people with fake Master Balls? Who would fall for that?”

Goh gritted his teeth. Unbelievable. He glanced around at his Alolan friends. They had all seen impossible things. Half of them had traveled to Ultra Space, but this is where they drew the line? Really?

By now the arena had been cleared, and cheers rose for the next competitors walking onto the field. Maybe if Goh hurried, he could ask the trainer directly. “I know what I saw. I’m going to--”

Ash reached up to catch Goh’s hand. He tilted his head back with a tender expression that stalled out Goh’s words. “Hey. Don’t we have enough going on right now? We can check it out later, but can we please watch the next match first?”

It was such a reasonable request. Goh sighed; what happened to the reckless trainer who used to drag him around on all those crazy adventures? "Yeah, okay." Ash flashed him a grateful smile, and Goh returned to his seat to stew.

Between Nanu feigning sleep on one side and Cinderace bouncing in his seat on the other, Goh couldn’t focus on the battle. Instead, he reached for his phone. Ash was right: there was a lot going on. The least he could do would be to do what he did best: research.

He got lost poking around the internet until a text popped up on the screen: “I’m up next.” Goh flashed his boyfriend a guilty smile, and Ash rolled his eyes before tapping his cheek.

“Sorry,” Goh muttered. He leaned over the back of Ash’s seat to peck his cheek. “For luck.”

“That’s not much luck,” Ash pouted. Kiawe hovered nearby, eager to get down to the arena. Goh was grateful that their matches were back-to-back so they could walk down together.

“Don’t be greedy,” Goh teased. “Get going already.”

Luckily, Ash’s match pitched his Lycanroc against a Masquerain. Kiawe’s Marowak struggled against a stubborn Mudsdale but came out victorious as well. The moment the match ended, Goh grabbed Cinderace and bolted for the stairs.

Goh had hoped to catch up with Ellis, but he reached the main doors without spotting the trainer. Cinderace led the way outside, pausing in front of the stadium to glance up at the rainbow-colored sunburst design above the gate. Goh had to admit that the stadium carved into the mountain was impressive, even if the rest of the summit was rather bleak in this downpour: the paved path lined with melting ice crystals, the drenched flower meadow beyond, and the overlook obscured by the stormclouds. A couple people in bright raincoats lingered near the shuttle stop, but there was no sign of Ellis or his Pyroar. 

Undeterred, Goh leaned against the wall just outside the doors. Cinderace huffed-- it was far more interesting inside-- but found a rock to bob up and down on his foot to pass the time. 

_Crack._

At first Goh thought Cinderace had broken something, but he had caught the rock on the top of his foot. Then they both tilted their heads back. A bright light poured out of a hole in the sky.

Goh had heard about wormholes before, but he had never expected it to look like the entire world had cracked open. More out of habit than anything, he held up his Rotom phone to record a video, but his eyes were fixed to that brilliant light overhead.

There was something inside. Something dark and serpentine shifted through the hole, and for a split second, Goh was transported back to the Darkest Day. But no-- whatever it was, a shadowy claw reached through at the edge of the wormhole… and just as quickly yanked it closed.

In an instant, the wormhole disappeared, leaving only the rainclouds in its wake.

Someone whistled behind him. “Quite a spectacle, huh?”

Goh recognized the two Mightyena trainers who had cornered Ash: the tall, pale one with the glasses too heavy for his face and his muscle-bound friend with the chain around his neck. He scrambled backward.

The one with the chain boomed out a laugh. “Jumpy, aren’t ya? Hey, what do you think that was? Rayquaza? Some Alolan legend?” 

“Our apologies. You’re friends with the reigning champion, correct? I’m glad to see that he’s still competing.” The pale friend tucked his hands in his pockets. “I guess our little trip upset Mightyena more than I anticipated.

“Yeah, well...” Goh didn’t know how to respond… especially when he noticed that both trainers were wearing purple Pokeballs on their belts. Standing this close, there was no mistaking them for ball capsules. Goh took another step backward, bumping into Cinderace.

The man with the chain noticed his look and plucked one of the Master Balls from his belt. “You know what this is, huh? Boss hooked us up. Said we had to be ready when--”

“Shh!” His friend grabbed his arm as if to yank him away. “We don’t need to advertise it! We only came here to scope out the competition, okay? Now that we’re done, it’s time to head back.”

“Wait, head where?” Goh asked. “Just what are you trying to catch?”

“Never mind.” The man with the chain reached a big hand over to ruffle Goh’s hair. Goh swatted the hand away. “Enjoy the tournament. If we cross paths again, let us know if you figure out what that was in the clouds, yeah?”

Goh had no intention of crossing paths with them again. As soon as they started down the road, he hurried back inside to find Ash.

Later, the gang returned to the sushi restaurant because Mallow had been outraged that they went without her. They had to push a couple tables together to accommodate them all. Ash ordered way too much again, but this time Goh was hungry enough to help him eat it all. 

Goh ended up spending half his time answering Burnet’s questions about the wormhole, despite the fact that he had shared the video with her. Ash watched the video once, shrugged as if it were something completely normal, and went back to recounting the day’s matches. Hau and Gladion contradicted every other comment he made. They snickered when Ash finally lost patience and asked the referee to back him up. Kukui sidestepped the issue by reminding them that he was off-duty.

Goh had been a little surprised when Nanu joined them. More surprised when the waiter not only knew his order but also brought him a baggie to take home to his Meowth. “Helped the owner a while back,” Nanu explained with a shrug. “Stop here whenever I’m in town.”

After the friends parted, Goh tried to steer Ash back toward their hotel, but even hindered by his arm in a sling, Ash kept slipping away from him. First he bought a Poliwhirl-themed umbrella from the first stall they passed, and Goh spent the next hour trying to keep Ash under the umbrella as he got sidetracked by one thing after another: glowing Morelull nestled in someone’s window garden, some Inkay chasing each other down an alleyway, an exasperated trainer wiping the mud from her Stufful’s paws moments before Stufful splashed through another mud puddle.

After a while, Goh had to admit… night had revealed the city’s beauty. Most of the touristy shops had shuttered for the night, but the strung lanterns cast colorful reflections on the rain-soaked streets. The many-eaved buildings rose into the darkness, rendering a mysteriously exotic atmosphere, even as a strong sea breeze reminded Goh of home.

“See? I knew you’d like it.” Ash paused near the entrance of Malie Garden to watch a troupe of Oricorio twirling about.

“Don’t be smug.” Goh took his opportunity to loop an arm around Ash’s waist. He only intended to stop Ash from wandering off again, but then he noticed the blush coloring Ash’s cheeks. Cute. “Come on. You have to be exhausted.”

“But there’s still so much to see…” Ash yawned despite himself, and Goh raised an eyebrow. “Oh, fine. Lead the way.”

“Lead where,” Goh muttered. He had lost track of the streets half an hour ago, but he recognized a particular Growlithe statue and soon found the right place. 

It took him a little longer to help Ash maneuver into pajamas. He whined when his sleep shirt caught on the cast, and Goh pointed out that it was warm enough to sleep in his shorts. Ash, ever incorrigible, suggested Goh do the same.

“I get cold easier,” Goh pointed out as he rearranged the pillows.

“Then you’ll just have to hold on to me.” Ash shuffled closer. “So hey, can I see your phone?”

Too busy adjusting the pillows, Goh handed over his phone without a fuss. Now that he didn’t have a dozen distractions, Ash watched the video of the wormhole again. Then he clicked over to the browser to see what Goh had been studying during the match earlier. He expected something like Master Ball production or Wimpod locations.

Instead, he found a couple articles about arm casts: how to sleep with one, what kind of cast worked best, how long it would have to stay on. Ash was touched. He read through two of the articles before Goh realized what he was doing and swiped his phone back.

“Don’t overthink it,” he muttered. “Just being practical.”

“Sure.” Ash distinctly remembered when they were kids and Goh would snap at anyone who dared suggest that he would do anything to help Ash. He found it oddly charming that Goh had never outgrown that urge. “I think you liiiike me.”

“I do,” Goh admitted. “So let me take care of you, please.” Ash cooperated then, taking his medicine and drifting quickly to sleep.

He woke up a couple hours later when Goh shuddered against him. As Goh had predicted, sleeping without a shirt left him half-frozen, even sleeping curled against Ash’s side. Ash tried to reach for a blanket, but his arm refused to cooperate. His sleep-slow brain eventually caught up with him, and he remembered the broken bone. Frustrated, Ash readjusted so he could reach the blanket with his other hand.

The movement woke Pikachu, who merely yawned and curled up a little farther away. Goh whimpered in his sleep.

“Hey,” Ash whispered. He dropped the blanket over Goh and brushed his cheek with a thumb. “Hey, wake up.”

Goh stiffened, then went limp as he came awake. “Oh… sorry.”

“Same dream?” He nodded. Ash tugged him closer so that Goh’s face rested against his chest and Ash could tuck his chin over his head. He desperately wanted to wrap both arms around him, but he settled for stroking Goh’s bare shoulder. “No worries, I gotcha.”

“No worries,” Goh sleepily repeated. “I’mma catch it first…”

Ash chuckled. “Course you will.”


	6. Celebi

“Don’t give me that look. I’m going to figure this out.”

Ash groaned as he shifted awake. His arm throbbed, and instead of Goh, it was Pikachu snoozing on top of him. The rest of his Pokemon had settled into breakfast, so it was all a standard morning except for the papers spread over half the bed.

He grabbed the closest one, a photograph of Noivern. “What in the world…”

Goh grabbed the paper and added it to a growing stack by his side. “Sorry,” he murmured absently, focus still on the task in front of him. Ash noted that he was only halfway dressed with one of Ash’s t-shirts and one sock.

“I thought we were on vacation,” Ash grumbled. He tried to sit up, which upset both Pikachu and his arm. He hissed at the flare of pain.

That caught Goh’s attention. He leaned across Ash to reach the medicine on the nightstand. Ash took advantage of their closeness and kissed him… which backfired. Goh slipped and landed on top of him. Papers crumpled, pills scattered, and Ash slammed his free hand against the wall behind him as his injured arm was shoved sideways. If the pain was bad before, it had his eyes watering now.

Goh scrambled upright. “Are you okay?! Geez, what were you thinking?” His hand hovered over the temporary cast, and he made a strangled noise when he saw the bruise peeking over the top of it. “Good thing we’re stopping by the doctor’s before your match this morning.” 

Ash couldn’t look at him. Their Pokemon had paused their breakfast to stare with wide-eyed concern, and Ash couldn’t deal with that, either. Instead he focused on the crumpled papers. He recognized the photographs of a half-dozen Dragon Pokemon: Haxorus and Noivern, Zekrom and Yvleltal too…

“Ash?” Goh touched his cheek. “Look at me. What’s wrong?”

He didn’t know-- hadn’t figured out yet why his heart hurt. He closed his eyes. “I don’t… this isn’t how I wanted this week to go.” It had been so long since he and Goh had gone on an adventure. He had dreamed about sleeping in, sipping Pinap juice, exploring some remote beaches… not going to see a doctor or deal with any of the other trouble they had found.

“Oh.” Goh brushed his thumb against his jawline. “Guess not. Is that why you wanted to go waltzing around the city last night? When you should have been _resting._ ” The half-worried, half-annoyed tone startled a laugh out of him. Just like that, Ash could look at him again-- even if he wished Goh would stop looking at him like he was something fragile.

“Not fragile,” Goh corrected when Ash voiced the concern. “What’s the word… precious.”

“Sap,” Ash teased, even if he blushed as he said it.

Goh leaned away with a pout. “You’re the one who’s all romance and zero self-preservation. Anyway, we still have time for some fun later. First, we need to clean up this mess.”

“Speaking of…” Ash held up one of the photographs. “What’s up with this?”

Goh explained as he retrieved the pills off the floor. “I was trying to figure out what I saw in that wormhole. Those claws don’t match the description of any known Ultra Beast, so I sent Zee down to the copy center this morning to print out pictures of Dragon types.”

“But no match?”

“No. I even looked into a rumor about a black form of Rayquaza, but the claws are too short.” Goh disappeared to the bathroom and returned with a glass of water. He perched on the edge of the mattress while Ash took a sip. “I suppose it could be something from another world, like your Naganadel, but I just have this hunch that I’ve seen those talons somewhere.

“What if it’s not a Dragon type?” Ash asked. “Birds have talons, too.”

Goh smacked his forehead. “Of course! Let me think, Flying types… there’s Corviknight… no, the talons weren’t armored… might check Skarmory or Honchkrow…” Zee gave up on breakfast and hovered over Goh’s shoulder, as if sensing the need for his assistance again.

Ash scratched the fin on Zee’s head. Jealous, Pikachu bumped his arm, and he switched to scrunching his fingers under Pikachu’s chin. “I’m surprised. I figured you would still be thinking about that guy with the Master Balls.”

“Oh yeah, that reminds me...” Goh told Ash about meeting the Mightyena trainers, who had been carrying Master Balls and talking about catching something. 

“That explains the sleep-talking.” 

Goh froze in place. “Oh no. What did I say this time?”

Ash smirked. “Do you remember back when they discovered the Galarian variant of Slowking?” At the time, Ash had been excited about the news, but Goh had been less than thrilled. In fact, he had nightmares that had him murmuring in his sleep about evil kings. Ash had asked about it, and determined not to explain, Goh had camped in the park for two days. 

The plan had backfired because Ash joined the campout. In his sleep, Goh had narrated a long and convoluted story that involved Shellder and instant noodles. Ash wished he had written it down because the next morning, Goh couldn’t remember any of it.

“No way.”

“Nah, I’m just messing with you.” Ash finished his water. “You did mention wanting to catch something.”

“Really?” Goh folded his arms. “Well, anyway… I’ve been thinking about those trainers, too. Ash, how many Team Rocket members have you met?”

“Besides Jessie and James?” At the mention of them, Pikachu squiggled away, and Zee followed him back over to the other Pokemon. “Some. I’d probably recognize a handful.”

“But you don’t recognize Ellis? Or those other two?”

Ash shook his head. “Sorry, it all kinda blurs together. It wasn’t even just Team Rocket. There were all those other poachers, Team This and That…”

“Not Team Rocket… That’s it!” Goh pulled up some images on his phone and handed it over. Ash recognized Lysandre, Ghetsis, Cyrus, Archie and Maxie… like a slideshow of bad memories. “Some of these faces look familiar, right?”

Ash squinted. Sure, he could see some similarities, but… “They’re all older than those trainers, by a decade or more.”

“That’s right. Remember what I said about Giovanni? He looked older. More than he should have aged in six months,” Goh said. “I know it sounds crazy, but I think we’re talking about time travel.”

Ash would have preferred to have some breakfast before throwing around all these wild theories, but he played along. “So what… Giovanni’s going around and snatching up the younger versions of other criminals? If he took their past selves, wouldn’t the adult versions disappear? I don’t know….”

Goh put his phone away. “You don’t believe me.”

Ash shrugged. Celebi traveled through time-- Rotom, too, judging from his experiences in Kalos. So he knew time travel happened, but he hated to think of Team Rocket having that power. 

Goh gathered papers off the bed. “Of course not. You do crazy things all the time, but when I suggest something out of the ordinary, then it’s impossible. Just like the Master Balls yesterday--”

“Whoa, wait.” Ash got up and rounded the bed. Cinderace stepped in his way. Normally, Goh would tell Cinderace to back down, but this morning, Goh stubbornly crossed his arms from where he stood behind his Pokemon. “Aw, come on…”

“Cin-DER.”

Ash had to lean around Cinderace to meet Goh’s eyes. “You know that’s not true. Of course I believe in the impossible. After all… I still can’t believe you love me back.” 

It wasn’t that Ash was insecure. He just knew how lucky he was to have found his person-- this beautiful and brilliant person, his best friend and bright future rolled into one. Whatever other troubles they faced, Ash could rest assured that they would face them together. 

Goh rolled his eyes, but he was also fighting a smile. “And you were calling me a sap.”

Cinderace allowed Ash to step around him, and Ash looped an arm around Goh’s waist. He tore down the rest of his defenses with a few soft kisses to the neck. Goh laughed.

“No fair,” Goh said. “I’m still mad at you.” 

“No, you aren’t.” Ash grinned. “Come on. Let’s go find something delicious for breakfast, and I’ll listen to all your terrifying theories, okay?”

After getting dressed and sorting out their Pokemon, Ash and Goh finally set off toward the doctor’s office. Ash sniffed out a malasada shop along the way. They were still munching through the doughnuts when the rain finally stopped.

Goh closed the umbrella. “Finally, some Alolan sunshine!”

“About time.” Ash offered a bite of his malasada to Pikachu. “Think we’ll see a rainbow?”

“Maybe.” Goh spun in a slow circle. “Hey, what’s that?”

In the distance, lightning flashed through the sky. That wasn’t unusual, but the pillar of flame that followed was. “A battle?” Ash asked. “That’s out by the recycling plant.”

Ash and Goh looked at each other.

“You have an appointment,” Goh said.

“We really shouldn’t go looking for trouble.”

Pikachu sighed. “Pika pika…”

They took off at a run.


	7. Lycanroc

The outer cape had transformed into a battlefield. Smoke billowed from the roof of the recycling plant. An Alolan Muk hovered over the fleeing workers. Half a dozen of the League competitors had joined the fight to contain the blaze. In the distance they spotted Kiawe's Charizard, Gladion's Silvally, even the Palossand from the melee. 

Lightning crackled overhead. Goh recognized the pattern of the black thunderheads spiraling above the recycling plant. His heart pounded with equal parts excitement and terror. Just like the first time, he thought.

"Well, that explains the thunder." A cold gust of wind threatened to bowl them backward. Ash reached up to keep his hat from flying off. "Been a while, huh?"

That's when a window burst. The Alolan Muk rose like a tidal wave of multicolor slime to shield the workers from the shower of broken glass. Muk roared.

Zapdos shrieked back. 

For a legendary creature, Zapdos wasn't exactly shy. It made sense for an Electric Pokemon to be curious about humans and their machines. That, and Goh had a hunch that Zapdos actually liked people. 

After all, Zapdos had battled him when he had been young, clumsy, and hopelessly outmatched. Zapdos had played along anyway, even waiting several times for him to check Raboot's health, when it could have escaped any time.

Zapdos could escape now. Instead, with a flap of its wings, Zapdos blasted Muk with enough electricity to light up the surrounding field. "What is is it _doing?_ " Goh hissed. 

"Not playing around, that's for sure." Ash glanced between the enraged bird and the workers hiding behind Muk. "We have to help them."

"On it." Goh dashed forward with Cinderace on his heels. Zapdos saw them coming and tried to blast them with lightning. Cinderace blocked the attack with a Pyro Ball.

Cinderace's feet scorched the grass where he stood-- pumped for a rematch. Goh tried to borrow his Pokemon's confidence. 

He reached for a Pokeball.

Ash shook his head. Leave it to Goh to try to solve everything by catching a Pokemon. That wouldn't stop the building from going up in flames. 

Ash couldn't see the other trainers, so they must have gone around to the other side. Determined to help however he could, Ash called on Dragonite. He struggled to climb on her back with one arm, so she scooped him into her arms. Kiawe would tease him later, but first, he had to find him.

Dragonite flew over the roof. A huge cylinder towered over the main building on the northern side. Dragonite flew around it and almost collided with another legend.

Moltres screeched. Its neck stretched back.

"Dive!" Ash shouted, and Dragonite plunged out of the way of a Flamethrower attack.

"Nice of you to show up," Kiawe shouted. He waved from where he crouched on the ground, beside a trainer holding gauze to a head wound. "Hey, aren't these guys from your neck of the woods?"

"Kanto? I guess." Ash didn't land. Didn't want to draw Moltres's attention to the others. "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't bring them!"

Before Kiawe could answer, Ash felt a cold gust on the back of his neck. "Dodge!" he shouted, and Dragonite shot upward.

An Ice Beam hit Moltres in the chest.

"No way!" Ash twisted to get a look at Articuno soaring in from the ocean. Ice crystals glittered in the wake of its streaming tail. It would have been a beautiful sight if it didn't make his stomach sink.

He had seen the Legendary Birds gather once before. He had hoped never to see it again. 

Articuno clashed with Moltres in a fury of pecking and scratching before the pair untangled again, circling each other in the air with wary eyes.

"They've been fighting since we got here." Gladion and Silvally appeared on the roof. Silvally's fins gleamed dark blue. "Our attacks barely slow 'em down."

"We need to ground them." Ash scanned the area and threw together a plan. "You have Lycanroc with you?"

Gladion caught on fast. He lifted a fist, letting the light catch on his Z-Ring. "Let's do this."

By now the birds had stopped circling each other. Moltres aimed a Fire Blast at Articuno. The air shimmered in front of Articuno, and the Mirror Coat reflected the attack back to Moltres. 

The Fire Blast knocked Moltres backward. Ash seized his chance. "Pikachu, use Electroweb!"

Pikachu leaped from his shoulder and flung two electric nets toward the birds. Both shrieked with rage 

Dragonite caught Pikachu, and Ash said, "Get ready. When they break free, dive to the ground and stay low."

Gladion and Silvally had vanished from the roof. Kiawe had recalled his Charizard and directed the other trainers to make way. Ash fumbled for Lycanroc's Pokeball and hoped he had the reflexes to pull this off.

Moltres and Articuno broke free of the Electroweb in a shower of cinders and snow. Dragonite plunged downward, and the birds raced after. Pikachu climbed to Dragonite's shoulder and, with a couple well-timed Thunderbolts, deflected an Ice Beam and a Flamethrower.

Then Ash shoved himself out of Dragonite's arms. He hit the ground in a roll that jarred his arm hard enough that he saw stars for a moment. With a groan, he shoved himself upright and released Lycanroc.

Gladion and his Lycanroc appeared at his side. "You sure you can do this?"

"Oh, now you ask," Ash grumbled.

Gladion pumped his fists, and Ash followed the pose as best as his sling would allow. Even with his teeth clenched through the pain, Ash could feel the energy build in his chest and surge out through his every nerve ending like static electricity. Both Lycanroc crouched in anticipation as their trainers struck the power pose. "Continental Crush!"

Dragonite and Pikachu raced by them just as boulders ripped out of the ground. Ash's Lycanroc howled, and a huge rock slammed into Moltres, knocking it to the ground. Gladion's Lycanroc swung his claws, and another boulder struck Articuno in the side. The bird rolled with the force before striking the side of the recycling plant.

Gladion straightened. "Did it work?"

From the other side of the recycling plant, thunder crashed. Ash's head whipped toward the sound.

Articuno rose to its feet and warbled what sounded like a question. Moltres rose, too, and answered with a quiet trill.

Gladion blanched. "Please tell me they're calling a truce." Kiawe approached with Charizard. Dragonite and Pikachu landed beside them.

Overhead, the clouds were spinning faster than before. The wind was building to a wail. Ash braced himself. "I don't think we're that lucky."


	8. Zapdos

Cinderace angled the next Pyro Ball to drive Zapdos closer to the building. Zapdos dodged and swept down. Its body rotated like a corkscrew, picking up speed until it slammed into the ground inches from Cinderace’s feet. Cinderace whirled, planting a Blaze Kick to Zapdos’s back. 

Making contact was a mistake. Cinderace screamed as electricity coursed through him.

“Get away!” Goh shouted. He noted the moves-- Drill Peck and Discharge, maybe, judging from the way the electricity fanned out from Zapdos’s whole body. As Zapdos righted itself, Cinderace staggered back.

Goh wished, not for the first time, that he had Ash’s battle skills. He glanced between Cinderace, already breathing heavy, and Zapdos, brimming with fury. “We’re still outmatched,” he murmured. 

He glanced back at the workers huddled behind Muk. Why weren’t they moving? “Get out of here!” he shouted. 

Zapdos launched back into the air and cast a hateful look at the workers. Goh spun the Pokeball in his hand. “Oh no you don’t!” The curveball struck Zapdos in the chest, and the bird shrunk in the red light. The Pokeball bounced on the grass twice before breaking open.

Goh expected as much. No way could he catch Zapdos without weakening it more, but if Cinderace had taught him anything, it was the importance of rhythm. The move had thrown off Zapdos’s attack and bought the workers a few precious seconds to retreat.

“Blaze Kick!” Goh called. When Zapdos burst furth, Cinderace struck Zapdos with both feet and bounced out of the way again. “Great!”

Zapdos swiveled its head toward him, and Goh flinched. Those eyes-- he wasn’t sure why, but he had the distinct feeling that this wasn’t the same Zapdos that he had faced before. Just as Ash said, this Zapdos wasn’t playing around.

Thunderbolts burst from its wings, crackling in all directions. Goh flung himself sideways to avoid getting hit. Cinderace wasn’t as lucky. The shock knocked him to his knees. 

But Zapdos wasn’t paying attention to Cinderace anymore. It rose in the air and began to rotate its body once more. 

Goh knew he wasn’t fast enough. Still sprawled on the ground, he reached for another Pokeball. His hand was still in his pocket when Zapdos dove toward him.

“Fire Blast!”

A stream of red flame knocked Zapdos off its trajectory. With an enraged shriek, Zapdos broke its descent and rose back into the sky.

“Are you okay?” Ellis and Pyroar slid to a halt beside Goh. This was the closest that Goh had seen the trainer, and for a second, he compared the young trainer beside him with the image he had pulled up on his phone that morning. The similarities were eerie, but Ash was right. Ellis looked young enough to be Lysandre’s son. Had his theory been wrong?

But now wasn’t the time for that. Goh spotted Cinderace getting back to his feet. “Yeah, thanks.”

“We saw the commotion on our way over.” Ellis offered him a hand up. “Saw your throw. Might have worked if you had something a little stronger.”

“It did work.” Goh frowned as he watched Zapdos circle above them. The workers had reached the edge of the parking lot, but the Muk and a blond man lingered there. He couldn’t risk Zapdos going after them again. “Cinderace, think you can drive it back toward the building with a Pyro Ball?”

“I have a better idea.” Ellis reached for his belt and held up a Master Ball. Goh’s eyes bulged at the sight. “I can catch it.”

“No, you can’t!” Goh spun, blocking Ellis with both arms.

Ellis stiffened. Pyroar crouched with a snarl. “Why not?” 

“Zapdos is special,” Goh said. His memory flashed back to Zapdos sharing the electricity from Vermilion’s power plant with the wild Electabuzz and Magnemite. “Legendary Pokemon have special roles in nature. Other Pokemon depend on them. It’s not right to force them into captivity.”

Ash had taught him that. It was why Goh had a catch-and-release policy with Legendary Pokemon, with one notable exception. But Goh didn’t trust just any trainer to follow the same principles-- certainly not a trainer who would use a Master Ball and rob a Pokemon of its choice. 

Ellis studied his face. Then his hand shot out and yanked Goh toward him. Lightning crashed against the ground where Goh had been standing a second before-- close enough that his hair stood on end.

“Is that how it is?” Ellis asked, but he sounded more curious than angry. Though his left hand curled around Goh’s upper arm, he still clutched the Master Ball in his right hand. “I truly admire your ideals, but if we let this Pokemon go, it poses a threat to the people here. So which is more important to you-- the rule of nature or people’s lives?”

Ellis did not wait for his answer. Zapdos dove toward them once more, and Ellis wound his arm for the throw. Desperate to stop him, Goh threw his shoulder against Ellis, knocking his aim off. Not enough-- the Master Ball flew upward. 

And stopped midair.

The ball floated for a long moment before dropping harmlessly to the ground. Ellis’s grip on Goh’s arm tightened painfully. With a snarl uncannily like Pyroar’s, Ellis demanded, “What was that?” 

A deafening roar made the air around them tremble. A cold wind kicked up all around.

“The rule of nature,” Goh said. He grinned as he spotted a break in the clouds overhead. He didn’t need his phone to tell him what was happening.

Lugia dipped out of the clouds and circled overhead. Zapdos lifted its beak in a cry of recognition. Without a single glance backward, it rose to greet Lugia like a child greeting a parent.

Goh felt giddy at the sight-- it wasn’t every day that he saw one legend, but two. Across the field, Cinderace practically vibrated, equally excited by the sight.

They weren’t prepared when Moltres and Articuno shot up from the other side of the building. Goh was almost glad that Ellis had a hold of him because he craned his head so far back that he nearly fell backward. 

Lugia dwarfed the other birds, almost three times larger than any one of the trio. It crooned as the Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos circled around. Goh fumbled for his phone-- Professor Cerise wasn’t going to believe this one-- but before he could reach it, Lugia gave a mighty flap of its wings and shot upward into the storm. The others shot after it.

With the lightning still flashing in the clouds above, Goh caught a glimpse of Lugia’s retreating form, a silvery flash with its neck stretched out like a serpent. Thunder rolled as the clouds spun, and a powerful gust threatened to knock Goh off his feet.

Rather than parting, the clouds spread to cover the sky. Then, as if to add insult to injury, the rain started again.

Goh didn’t have time to catch his breath before a crowd descended on them. The rain drowned the last of the flames, freeing up the trainers who had been fighting the fire. Goh was glad to spot Ash, a little dirtier than before but grinning at something Gladion said. Pikachu, Dragonite, and Silvally trailed behind. So did Kiawe and a band of other trainers that Goh vaguely recognized from the Alolan Pokemon League. 

The recycling plant had fallen quiet in the wake of the battle, but the trainers’ excited chatter soon livened the place up again. Goh couldn’t blame them. A battle like that was something they would probably tell their children about

As Ash approached, his eyes zeroed in on Ellis’s grip on Goh’s arm. Ellis snapped his hand back. Before the trainer could open his mouth, Ash was suddenly there, tucking a hand around Goh’s waist. Goh leaned into the embrace and smirked at the way Ellis’s face whitened.

“H-hey there,” Ellis said, offering a handshake. Ash stared him down.

Goh noted that Ellis had pocketed the Master Ball out of sight. His Pyroar crouched behind his legs and sized up the approaching crowd. 

Ash waited until the other trainer dropped his hand. “Ellis, right? Guess I should thank you for helping out. Pretty crazy situation, huh?”

Gladion’s shoulder knocked against Goh from the other side. “Nice work on this side. You get any recordings this time?”

“Agh, no.” Goh would be kicking himself for that later. “I didn’t see the other two until the end. You guys fought them?”

Gladion nodded. “Fill you in later. So you didn’t have your phone out? No readings from your app?”

“Huh? You mean the Aura Reader?” Goh pulled out his phone, using his free hand to shield the screen from the rain. The usual error screen popped up when he opened the app.

Gladion sighed. “Ah, that’s too bad. Might have given us some clues where those birds came from.”

Before Goh could ask what Gladion meant, Ellis leaned into his space. “What is that? You said Aura Reader, right?”

Goh tucked his phone screen against his shirt. “Still under development.” By then, Cinderace had returned, and combined with Ash and Gladion hovering over him, Goh felt like he had gained a troop of guards.

“Just curious.” Ellis held up his hands in mock surrender. He made a show of checking the watch on his wrist. “Guess we better hurry back, huh? Next round of the tournament will be starting before long.”

“Thanks for helping out,” Ash said, “but if you don’t mind, I have a couple questions.”

“Yeah?” Ellis smiled disarmingly. “Tell you what. I’m really eager for my next match. I’m facing the reigning champ in the next round, you know.”

If Ash hadn’t been pressed against his side, Goh wouldn’t have noticed the way he flinched ever so slightly. No, Ash hadn’t known.

“Tell you what, if I win, I want to hear more about that tech you’re hiding.” Ellis nodded toward Goh’s phone. “If you win, I’ll be happy to answer all your questions.”

Ash glanced at Goh, who shrugged in response. He had no doubt that Ash would wipe the floor with the guy anyway. “Okay,” Ash agreed. “You’re on.”


	9. Gyarados

With the latest crisis averted, Ash dove into problem-solving mode. They would all miss the shuttle back up to Mount Lanakila, so Ash put Gladion in charge of arranging Ride Pokemon. Thankfully, the rain had put out the fire, and the president of the recycling plant was more concerned with the safety of his workers than the state of the building. His Muk shuffled around the field, popping bits of debris into his mouth like so much popcorn.

Aside from the trainer holding gauze to his forehead, no one else had been injured. Ash mingled with them, listening to their versions of the battle and offering congratulatory fist bumps all around.

“Takes a lot of courage to face down a legendary Pokemon,” he said. “You guys are amazing! You should be proud of yourselves.”

Goh, who had dipped out of Ash’s embrace to check on their Pokemon, nevertheless watched his partner taking control of the situation. Goh rarely saw him acting so level-headed outside of a Pokemon battle. Then again, Ash had just spent a year teaching a classroom of rowdy children. Maybe that’s where he had learned to keep his composure. Fascinating, Goh thought.

Then Lycanroc shoved his head against Goh’s palm, demanding attention. “Sorry, I’m coming.” Goh ruffled through his bag for a Potion. Pikachu had already raided the bag for a handful of Sitrus berries. He shared his loot with Dragonite.

As for Cinderace… Kiawe had released Turtonator, who dragged Cinderace into what appeared to be a serious and lengthy discussion.

Kiawe kneeled beside Goh and ran a hand through Lycanroc’s mane. “What do you think they’re talking about?” he asked, nodding toward Cinderace and Turtonator.

“Who knows?” Goh shrugged. “Is Charizard okay? I’m betting you were one of the first ones here, right?”

Kiawe nodded. “Charizard’s resting now. We were out on deliveries when we saw a flash of light over the cape. Thought it might be another wormhole, so we decided to check it out.”

“A wormhole?” Goh frowned. “Are they really that common? I just saw one yesterday.”

Kiawe glanced toward Gladion, who had a phone to his ear and Silvally pressed to his side. “I mean, they come in waves. We can go a year without seeing one, and then have a dozen open in a week. Lately the Aether Foundation has been logging a lot of activity.”

“Do you think that’s where they came from?” Goh asked. “Zapdos, Moltres, Articuno… why would they cross an ocean to come here? Plus, I didn’t recognize that Zapdos. I think it was different from the one I faced before.”

“Hmm. To be honest, you would probably know better than I would.” Lycanroc leaned into Kiawe’s hands, and he absently continued to scrunch his fingers through the wolf Pokemon’s fur. “But it’s weird, right? Plus, with all this going down… where’s Tapu Bulu?”

Goh nodded. “Weird,” he agreed. Not only about the island guardian missing out on the commotion… but if Team Rocket was somewhere on the island, he couldn’t believe that they would miss a chance at not one, but four legendary Pokemon. He scanned the area, but no one struck him as suspicious.

Goh did not mention Ellis’s Master Ball, or the way Lugia had stopped it midair with Psychic. Kiawe had not believed Goh before about the Master Balls, so probably best not to bring it up again until Goh knew more. And after the way Ellis had zeroed in on the mention of the Aura Reader… Goh only hoped Ash didn’t drag out their battle because Goh was dying with curiosity. Ellis had answers, he just knew it.

Ash didn’t get a chance to really check in with Goh until they reached the stadium. With only a few minutes to spare before the first match, Ash pulled Goh into the nearest empty hall.

Goh wasted no time running his hands over Ash’s face, brushing away some dirt with his thumb. Ash let him fuss, too relieved to see his partner still in one piece to put up a fight about his appearance. 

“That Zapdos,” he started. “Its aura…”

Goh nodded. He tucked some loose hair behind Ash’s ears. “You noticed, right? Not the same Zapdos we know.”

Ash hadn’t noticed that at all, but now that Goh said it, his gut told him it was true. “All of them… they were so angry. Almost like Shadow Pokemon.” Goh stiffened. “They weren’t, I don’t think.”

“Still, I’m glad Lugia was there to calm them down,” Goh said.

“I guess.” When Ash had spotted Lugia dropping out of those clouds, he had felt sick to his stomach. The last time he had seen all of those legendary birds in one place, so many people had been hurt. Even now, he had a feeling that the fight wasn’t over and that the worst was yet to come.

“Hey.” Goh caught Ash’s chin in his hand, forcing him to focus. “We’ll talk it out later, okay? For now, you have a battle ahead. Enjoy it-- and don’t you dare lose.”

Ash huffed. As if he would lose to that Ellis guy. Ash hadn’t liked him to begin with-- had liked him even less when Goh had presented him with the theory that Ellis was some sort of time-traveling younger version of Lysandre, the villain who had tried to rip the world apart at the seams. 

Then Ellis had grabbed Goh’s arm. Maybe Ash was feeling overprotective since the Giovanni incident, but now he really wanted to thrash the guy. In a Pokemon battle, of course.

In the distance, the overhead speakers asked spectators to find their seats, and Goh looked over Ash’s shoulder. “Pikachu, you’ll keep an eye on him for me, right?”

Pikachu, who had been messing around with Cinderace’s ears, flashed Goh a grin. “Pika pi.”

“We’ll be fine,” Ash said. “You stick close to Nanu and the others until I get back, okay?”

“Will do.” Goh leaned in for a kiss that didn’t last long enough. “Good luck,” he whispered.

 _Be safe,_ he didn’t say. _I worry about you. I love you._

Ash heard it anyway, and that’s why he pressed Goh back against the wall and deepened the kiss, chasing the heat and the sweetness that only existed between them. Goh put up no resistance; his hands moved to either side of Ash’s hips and held him in place. As if there was anywhere else Ash wanted to be.

Behind them, Cinderace groaned with embarrassment and reminded them of the time. “Cinder-ACE.” Goh pulled away, grumbling, and Pikachu leaped up to take his place in Ash’s arms.

“Good luck,” Goh repeated, and he headed toward the stands.

Ash waved them off and turned toward the arena. Time to focus.

Ellis waited for him on the battlefield. He had changed into a bomber jacket and red jeans, and a Gyarados coiled around him. When he noticed Ash step onto the field, he smiled with a bland expression that Ash knew better than to trust.

Against Gyarados, Ash’s choice was obvious. He reached for Pikachu. “Can you cheer us on?”

“Pika?” Pikachu tilted his head, confused, but nevertheless hopped down to wait behind Ash.

“Incineroar, I choose you!” The fire cat emerged from the Pokeball with an eager roar.

Over the mic, Kukui boomed out a laugh, but the rest of the stadium hummed with the audience’s confused reactions. Ash distinctly heard Kiawe yell, “Seriously? Have you never heard of type advantages?”

Ash didn’t care. He shouted across the field to his confused opponent, “Come on, show us what you got!”

Kukui announced the one-on-one match, “Defending champion Ash and Incineroar versus Ellis and Gyarados! Match start!”

Ellis touched the wristband of his watch, and a flash of colors surrounded his Pokemon. Gyarados reared back as red scales rose along his body and his fins lengthened with vicious spikes. The serpent bulged with muscle and rage. “Gya-RAAA!”

“Look at that, folks, our first Mega Evolution of the tournament!” Kukui let out a whistle. “How will our champ counter?”

Mega Gyarados’s roar echoed around the stadium, but Incineroar stood firm. “Flame Charge!”

“Stop it with Stone Edge!” Gyarados slapped his tail down, and Ash felt the ground shudder under his feet. Rock pillars jutted out of the ground and rushed toward Incineroar, blocking his path. 

“Keep going!” Ash shouted. Incineroar used his speed to his advantage. He spun around and over the rock pillars. Yellow-orange flames built up along with his speed until Incineroar knocked into Gyarados and leaped back.

The impact left a scorch mark but did not slow Gyarados down at all. “Crunch!”

Gyarados’s teeth clamped down on Incineroar’s shoulder, and Incineroar cried out. Then Gyarados flung him back toward the rock pillars from before. One of the rocks caught Incineroar on the stomach before he dropped down among them.

“Incineroar!” Ash shouted.

Ellis didn’t let up. “Now, Earthquake!” Gyarados raised his giant tail once more and slammed it into the ground. The rock pillars shuddered and broke over Incineroar.

Or so it appeared. A tornado of red flame burst from the wreckage. Using the momentum of his Darkest Lariat attack, Incineroar spun out of harm’s way and once again landed a hit on Gyarados before darting back.

“First Fire, then Dark-- what are you playing at?” Ellis shook his head. “You know those moves won’t put a dent in Mega Gyarados’s defenses.”

“You can talk all you want later,” Ash taunted back. “Come on, show us what you got!”

"Very well. Gyarados, use Waterfall!”

Water streamed around Gyarados, and he rushed upward with the force of the current. The audience collectively gasped at the sight of the giant Pokemon hovering high above the arena. Then Gyarados crashed back down with a tidal wave that swept over the arena.

Ash stumbled back with the force of the water, and Pikachu had to leap to his shoulder to avoid getting swept away.

Ash’s eyes snapped back to the center of the arena, where Incineroar stood engulfed in flame. The muscles of his arms bulged with the strain of gripping Mega Gyarados’s head. For a split second, Incineroar held Gyarados upside down, even with all of Gyarados’s weight and the force of the Waterfall coming down on him.

Then Incineroar reared his head back and flung Gyarados into the ground. 

The arena shook with the force of the slam, and Ellis visibly stumbled. Gyarados lifted his head for only a moment before collapsing back, knocked out cold.

“Ash and Incineroar win,” Kukui announced, “with the power of Revenge, a Fighting type move made more powerful by the damage taken and the Dark-type Gyarados received upon Mega Evolution. A flawless use of timing and type advantages!”

Ash tuned out the rest of Kukui’s announcements. He ran across the field to Incineroar, whose breath was coming hard enough to move his shoulders. Ash tucked an arm around his Pokemon. “You did great! Thanks!”

“Rwaor!” Incineroar nodded as if a battle like that were par for the course. Ash grinned back.

Ellis recalled Gyarados. His face contorted with some intense emotion that Ash didn’t recognize, but then he sighed and smoothed his expression back into something mild and friendly.

“Congratulations,” he said. “Guess I owe you a conversation.”

Ash glanced up and spotted Goh at the railing, watching their exchange with a wary expression. When he caught Ash looking, he waved and held up his phone. Curious, Ash fished in his pocket for his own phone and read, “Meet me at the front desk.”

Ellis swept out an arm. “Shall we?”


	10. Sandshrew

Before Goh could bolt from the stands, Nanu got to his feet and shuffled unhurriedly ahead of them. Cinderace grumbled impatiently, ignoring Goh's warning look. They had promised Ash to be careful, and that meant accepting Nanu’s company. Cinderace released a dramatic sigh. 

Goh sympathized, though, especially when Nanu's phone rang halfway down the stairs. The kahuna caught Goh's eyes and held up a finger. “Chief Nanu here.” He took a few steps away. “I told you not to call this number…”

Goh folded his arms. He hated this... feeling like he had to wait for his babysitter to walk down the hall. Goh had been adventuring by himself since he was a little kid. He had faced off with Zapdos that same morning. The caution seemed like overkill. 

Then Giovanni's face flashed through his mind. Goh still didn't know what his endgame was, but with everything that had happened since they arrived in Alola, he could only guess that something big was in the works. That's why he was raring to get downstairs and get some answers.

Around the corner, Nanu raised his voice. "I told you, there's no way..."

Cinderace leaned forward on his toes, ears shifting slightly forward. Goh wondered what had caught his attention, but before he could ask, a purple beam of energy knocked Cinderace back against the wall.

"Cinderace!" He jumped up, but a talon pressed against the back of his neck. 

The world shifted as they were teleported away.

Ash had a feeling that Goh hadn’t thought it through when he suggested meeting by the front desk. As soon as Ash stepped into the reception area, he met a wall of familiar faces: Hapu and Mina, Wicke from the Aether Foundation, some hikers who had studied dance with Kiawe… Ash appreciated the congratulations and the sympathetic glances toward the sling, but he hurried through the greetings. Ellis patiently waited beside him until he finished talking.

So it surprised Ash when he didn't find Goh at the front desk. He looked around and even lifted Pikachu over his head for a better vantage point. "Any sign of him?" Pikachu shook his head.

“Your friend?” With his height, Ellis had no problem scanning the crowd. “I don’t see him.”

“Boyfriend,” Ash corrected. He dug out his phone and found a message from Goh. “Go ahead and start without me.” Ash frowned. Hadn’t Goh been salivating for answers half an hour ago? He texted back a thumbs-up emoji and a question mark. Something felt off, but before he could worry about it, Goh texted back a couple hearts.

Ellis leaned close enough to read the phone screen. “So that’s how it is.”

Ash’s temper flared. His arm hurt, he was going to miss the match between Hau and Gladion, and this guy seriously had no boundaries. “Let’s get this over with,” he snapped. “First off, who are you? Ellis isn’t your real name, is it?”

“I think you know my real name.” Ellis led the way over to a quiet corner. “I’m told that our paths crossed in this world once before.”

Ash leaned against the wall and exchanged puzzled looks with Pikachu. He already wished Goh were here. He had no idea how to steer this conversation. “What do you mean, ‘this world?’” 

“I’ll just come out and say it.” Ellis held his hands to either side, palms up. “My name is Lysandre, but my uni friends call me Ellis. With the aid of a sponsor, I traveled through an Ultra Wormhole to reach this place. You could say I’m from a parallel world.”

Ash nodded along. He probably should have been more surprised, but it wasn’t even the craziest thing he had heard that morning. “So… not time travel?”

“Uh… no? Is that a thing here?” Ellis’s eyes widened comically, and Pikachu snickered.

Ash shrugged. This might not be the Lysandre he knew, but he didn’t especially feel like sharing information with any version of the man who had once destroyed a city before his eyes. Ash focused instead on questions that Goh would ask. “Where did you get the Master Balls?” 

“You noticed.” Ellis-- it was too weird to think of him by his other name-- tucked his hands in the pockets of his jacket. “Actually, Giovanni gave those to all of us.”

“Giovanni?” Ash gritted his teeth. “You work with him?” Ash didn’t list Giovanni’s crimes: theft and torture of countless Pokemon, kidnapping and threatening to kill Goh, not to mention trying to take over the world.

Ellis studied his face. Quietly, he asked, “You’re from Kanto, right? In my world, Kanto doesn’t exist anymore.”

Ash waited for him to elaborate, and Ellis continued, “My world has been at war for decades. People and Pokemon, even whole nations, torn apart… all because they don’t know how to talk to each other. That’s why I developed a communications device to promote understanding. I thought if people could just see each other’s perspectives, we could find peace together. I… didn’t have much success.

“Then Giovanni showed up with a team of scientists and technology experts. He poured resources into developing my video-caster, and he shared his plan to restore peace and order to all the worlds he has visited. So I agreed to help him.”

“Wait, all the worlds?” Ash shivered. Goh had mentioned that Giovanni looked older. How many worlds had he visited? How long had he been scheming? How had he learned to travel through Ultra Space, anyway? With so many questions swirling around his head, Ash didn’t know where to start.

“He’s gathered a team of thought leaders, acquired cutting-edge technology, and pinpointed the best location to launch his plan for peace,” Ellis said. “Alola’s a pretty special place, isn’t it? Brimming with light and life energy.”

On Ash’s shoulder, Pikachu suddenly growled. Ash felt the same way, hearing his second home threatened like that. “Why are you telling me all this?” Ash asked. “If Team Rocket tries to hurt Alola, then as champion, I’ll put a stop to it.”

“We don’t want to hurt anyone.” Ellis smiled. “It doesn’t matter if you know. Even if you’re the strongest trainer in this world-- and after our battle, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were-- the plan’s already in motion. Just enjoy your tournament, and in a few short days, Alola will be a safer, better place.”

Ash felt sick. Hadn’t Goh shown him those photos earlier, all the villains who had hurt people and Pokemon in the name of peace and progress? “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me the rest of your plan,” he said.

“I suppose not.” Ellis checked his watch. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll be cheering for you.” 

Ash watched Ellis walk away. Pikachu’s cheeks crackled with electricity, and Ash was tempted to let Pikachu zap the guy. Instead, he took a Pokeball from his belt and released Gengar.

“Can you follow that guy? Stay safe and out of sight,” Ash asked. Gengar saluted before melting into a passerby’s shadow.

With that done, Ash checked the reception area again for his missing boyfriend. He was starting to get worried.

Goh’s breath turned to fog in front of his face. He wrapped his arms around himself as he looked around the icy cave. “Where are we?”

Beside him, Cinderace shook his ears out as if he had been dazed by the earlier attack. All around, a strange bioluminescent moss cast a pale blue light through the cave. Icicles hung from the ceiling, and Goh recognized the scratch marks on the walls as the territorial markings of wild Sandshrew. They had to be in the caves under Mount Lanakila, so they couldn’t have gone far. 

The last time Goh had explored these caves, he got lost while trying to catch a Drampa. He almost got frostbite before Ash’s Lycanroc tracked him down. Not wanting to repeat the experience, Goh reached for his phone, but it wasn’t in his pocket. Behind him, someone asked, “Looking for this?”

Across the cave, Matori held up his phone. She had grown out her hair and twisted it into a bun, and her standard suit had been replaced with a maroon blouse over white capris. Kadabra and an Alolan Meowth stood behind her. “It’s been a while.”

Without thinking, Goh said the first thing that came to mind: “How are you not freezing like that?” Goh asked. Matori blinked at the unexpected question. “Never mind. Can you just say what you want and put me back already?”

“Excuse me?” Her face remained stoic as ever, but her voice betrayed her irritation. Clearly she had expected him to be surprised, but Goh didn’t have the patience to pretend. 

“You left Team Rocket, right? They’re here on the island. So forget whatever scheme you’re up to and put me back before Ash freaks out.” Goh folded his arms more tightly around himself. She might not mind the cold, but he had not dressed for this. “Tangrowth is doing well, by the way.”

“Oh.” Matori glanced back at Kadabra. “Thank you for the information. As for Team Rocket, that’s why I’m here. You’re being targeted, aren’t you?”

Goh gestured toward Matori. “Clearly.”

“Cinderrr…” Cinderace nudged Goh as if to tell him to cool it with the attitude. Goh wasn’t as scared of Matori as he had once been-- between her and Giovanni, he would take her any day-- but that didn’t make her any less dangerous. She had tracked down Mew and undermined the Shadow Pokemon operation, even if it meant risking Goh and his Pokemon. 

Okay, maybe Goh was still a little scared of her. One hand shifted over Zee’s Pokeball, shielding the former Shadow Pokemon from view.

Matori shook her head. “That police officer back there… Chief Nanu? Do you know who he is?”

“The island kahuna? Yeah.”

“That’s not all. Before Nanu moved to Alola, he worked as a detective in Viridian City. He’s been on Giovanni’s payroll for years.” She smirked. “Funny that I should find him keeping an eye on you just as Giovanni’s about to make his move.”

“What?” Goh thought back to his conversation with Nanu yesterday. The guy might be a jerk, but he just didn’t seem like the Team Rocket type. Ash trusted him.

Then again, Ash wanted to trust everyone, and villains had taken advantage of his trusting nature in the past. Goh’s mind flashed to Ellis, who looked so much like the Lysandre who had once tricked Ash with a polite smile. Goh needed to get back to Ash so that they could figure this all out together.

Matori continued, “You’ve seen the wormholes, right? Legendary Pokemon have been appearing all over the islands. First Kyogre at Manalo, then the dragons and now the birds…”

“Wait, what?” Goh shook his head. “Back up. When was Kyogre…”

A freak storm had damaged Manalo Stadium. That’s why the Alolan Pokemon League had moved last minute. 

Matori crouched to pick up Meowth. The silver cat hung limply in her arms, expression as blank as his trainer’s. “Giovanni’s goal has always been to achieve world order. I know more about his plans than anyone else, and I’m willing to share that information on one condition.” 

“Can’t be worse than anything you’ve asked me to do before,” Goh said, but he braced himself anyway.

“This all started when I asked you to catch a legendary Pokemon,” she said. “That’s exactly what I’m asking you to do again. If Giovanni catches it first, then there’s no stopping him.”

Goh frowned. If Giovanni had Master Balls at his disposal, then the only hope of stopping him would be to reach this legendary Pokemon first. Cinderace seemed to reach the same conclusion because he shot a glare at Matori.

“I don’t trust you,” Goh repeated, “so let’s get all the cards on the table. What Pokemon do you want me to catch?”


	11. Tapu Bulu

Maybe because of Goh’s recent dreams about Mew and the constellations, or maybe because he had seen the legendary birds just that morning, when Matori said, “We need to catch Ho-Oh,” Goh had a dizzying sense of déjà vu. 

Between Ultra Space and Lugia, now Ho-Oh… Goh was starting to get nervous about the fiery end to his dream. 

He let out a deep breath that fogged up in the freezing cave air. He had plenty of worries without borrowing from nightmares. 

First and foremost... he couldn't help wondering what Matori hoped to accomplish. She had already escaped Team Rocket, so why risk Giovanni's wrath by standing against him? 

In her arms, Meowth yawned. Kadabra hovered behind her shoulder. Team Rocket had experimented on and tortured them, yet she would be risking them, too. Either she was heartless, or Matori believed in her cause that much.

Goh glanced over at his own Pokemon. "If you needed my help, why attack Cinderace?" he asked.

“What did you expect me to do? You wouldn’t have come willingly, and I couldn’t leave you there.”

“Leave me where? Is there something wrong at the stadium?” Goh’s thoughts flashed to Rei and his other friends still watching the tournament.

“Oh, for the love of…” Matori turned her face upward as if looking for divine patience. “Didn’t I just tell you that Nanu works for Giovanni?”

Then it clicked. It was no secret that Ash would participate in the Alolan League, and anyone who knew either of them would expect Goh to be there, too. Matori must have been watching for him, and when she saw him alone with Nanu, she had acted. If she saw Nanu as a threat… “You were protecting me?”

“Means to an end,” she said. “I need your skills, nothing more.”

“Right.” Goh held out a hand. “Okay. I’ll do it, but I need my phone back.” He didn’t think it would be as simple as asking, but Matori tossed it over. He wasn’t amused to see that she had answered some of his texts for him.

Matori didn’t stop him from making a phone call, but she didn’t wait around, either. She led the way down a tunnel dimly lit by the glowing moss. The floor was slick underfoot, so Goh followed with the phone pressed to his ear and one hand balanced on Cinderace’s shoulder.

“Goh?” Ash answered on the first ring. “Where are you?!” He shouted so loud that Goh had to stop and hold the phone away from his ear. Cinderace snickered.

“Sorry,” Goh said. “Something came up. Did you talk to Ellis?”

“Yeah,” Ash said. “As it turns out, not time travel-- he came through an Ultra Wormhole.”

Goh stared at Matori’s back. She had mentioned legendary Pokemon appearing from wormholes. Before he could suggest a connection, however, Ash demanded, “So what happened? I went looking for you, and no one knew where you or Nanu disappeared.”

“Wait, what happened to Nanu?” Matori glanced back at him. Goh mouthed “you?” and she shook her head.

“That’s what I want to know,” Ash said. “Goh, tell me what’s going on.”

Goh hesitated. If he told Ash where he was now or who he was with, Ash would race to his side. As much as Goh wanted him there… on the off chance that Matori was telling the truth about Nanu working for Giovanni, then it made more sense for Ash to stick close to their friends at the stadium. Ash would keep them safe, and they could watch his back until Goh found some answers.

“I’m going after the birds,” he said. “I’ll fill you in later.”

“Goh…” He cringed at Ash’s I’m-not-mad-just-disappointed voice. “You’re being sneaky, and you’re not good at it. Please get back here. Now isn’t the time to go off alone.”

“Not alone.” Considering his company, alone might have been safer. Before he could say anything to worry Ash more, Goh added, “I think I’m going to need some of that luck back.” 

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Nope. No luck until you get back.” Goh laughed, muttered a “love you,” and hung up.

“Ace?” Cinderace checked in, reached up a paw to touch Goh’s hand on his shoulder. 

Goh gave him a squeeze. “We’re good. Let’s go.”

Matori had paused at a junction of tunnels ahead. Cinderace’s ears swiveled toward a tunnel that sloped downward. They followed the sound of rushing water until the passage opened into a cavern. Sunlight filtered in from overhead and cast rainbows over a large waterfall that dominated the cave. In the distance, Goh glimpsed a Seel slipping into the water. 

He reached the edge of the water and peered up at the slice of blue sky overhead. If he could imagine a perfect place for Articuno to hide, this would be it. He got a little excited imagining Articuno emerging from that huge waterfall in all its majesty… but they weren’t looking for Articuno.

Goh peered up at the light shimmering through the mist, then at the blue sky. Ho-Oh appeared where rainbows formed, but there had to be other conditions. Ash said he had seen Ho-Oh on the first day of his journey. That would have been north of Pallet Town. On his phone, he pulled up a map of Ula’ula Island and checked for any areas with a similar environment. 

“I can save you the trouble,” Matori said. Despite her stoic expression, he could see goosebumps rising on her forearms. Even Meowth shivered in this cold. “The north face of Mounta Lanakila is too steep, too prone to rockfall for people to live there. It’s one of the few places on the islands left practically untouched by humans, which makes it the perfect hiding spot.”

“So why aren’t we going there?” Goh asked, even as he wondered if they would all freeze before finding any Pokemon. 

“We are.” Matori pointed out a narrow path that ducked behind the waterfall. Cold mist sprayed them as they carefully picked their way across the slippery stone. A narrow passage opened in the rock, and they stepped through to a smaller cavern dimly lit by a crack in the ceiling overhead.

Goh switched his phone to flashlight mode and held it overhead. Black designs sprawled over the walls. He had seen something like this once before, in the Hoenn region’s Granite Cave. Crude human figures took on bizarre features: swollen arms and long noses, hands like pincers and tails like clubs. One figure sported a large set of wings. Goh snapped a few photos.

“I don’t know enough about the local culture to guess how long these have been here or who made them.” Matori crouched along the wall and reached under a ledge for a hidden box. From the box, she pulled out an old-fashioned bell strung on a red braid. “Come here.”

Goh reluctantly edged closer. Matori tied the bell to his wrist like a bracelet. “Many years ago, Team Rocket stole a bunch of these trinkets from Ecruteak City. It was rumored that the bells could summon Ho-Oh, but if they could, they wouldn’t be sold as souvenirs.”

“So why hide it here?” Goh held up his wrist, and Cinderace poked the bell. The tinkling sound echoed around the small chamber until it sounded like they were surrounded by tiny bells. “How did you find this place, anyway?”

“Meowth showed me.” The cat in question clung to Matori’s shirt, shivering and looking not at all like an explorer of mountain caves. “The bell can’t summon anything, but it will ring when Ho-Oh is nearby… or so they claim. Since I’ve never seen it myself, I don’t know for sure.”

Goh rolled his wrist and listened to the bell gently ringing. He wasn’t sure how effective it would be if the bell rang with every movement, but he would take any lucky charm he could find. “Thanks,” he said. “So, where do we go from here?”

“Up.” Matori pointed. Goh blanched at the prospect of climbing the steep, slippery walls, but then he noticed Kadabra swirling his talons in the air. Goh’s feet floated off the floor, just like when Gengar played pranks. Cinderace latched onto his arm. Kadabra’s Psychic lifted the whole group up through the crack of the ceiling and into the sunlight above.

Nidoking grappled with Tapu Bulu's horns, and the land spirit Pokemon howled with rage. The ground was littered with vines that it had summoned to wrap around Nidoking's limbs, only to be torn aside. The closer Nidoking pressed the Pokemon toward the Oran berry tree behind it, the more desperately Tapu Bulu fought. 

Giovanni wanted to know why. 

No matter how Tapu Bulu struggled, it only took a moment to toss the Master Ball. Tapu Bulu roared as it disappeared inside. Nidoking groaned, disappointed to lose his foe. Giovanni understood. He would have liked a real fight, but then again, he had gone to extraordinary lengths to gain this technology. It would be a shame not to use it.

"So that's the last of those pesky island guardians." From the back of his Camerupt, Maxie studied the green paradise hidden within the desert ruins. No doubt the young man was getting ideas. He kept fiddling with those glasses that looked too heavy for his face.

If Giovanni remembered correctly, Maxie had been on track to use Groudon's powers to expand land forms. In some ways, this younger version had come closer to those goals than the Team Magma leader that his agents had thwarted all those years ago.

"Here." Giovanni stepped under the berry tree to pick up the ball. He tossed it to Maxie. "Do you know what people don't understand about Ground-type Pokemon?" 

"What's that?"

"They think of the ground as a solid, unmoving thing," Giovanni said as he stepped around the berry tree, "but the truth is that it never stops moving. A Ground-type Pokemon’s power depends on motion-- stopping foes in their tracks or building momentum to enhance their own power, building from imperceptible tremors to a devastating earthquake."

The grass behind the tree shifted, and Giovanni's hand shot down. He pulled a squealing Sandile up by the tail. "So you're the one that Pokemon was protecting."

"San-sandiiile!" The small Pokemon waved his stubby legs in a pitiful attempt to escape. 

"How wasteful." Maxie peered at Tapu Bulu inside the Master Ball. "Why risk capture for the sake of a squealing runt?"

Giovanni lifted the Sandile, and he wriggled back and forth. His jaws snapped, not quite reaching Giovanni's arm.

Giovanni knew better than to underestimate potential. Just as the vibrations within the earth had the potential to build to a catastrophic quake, this tiny Pokemon had the potential to grow into a desert monster capable of ripping automobiles apart with those jaws. 

In all his travels, Giovanni had witnessed the danger of potential again and again. Every time he came within a hand's reach of success, some self-righteous hero stepped forward-- the young man with the Pikachu, the teenage lovebirds from Unova, the detective with the purple ponytail. None of them had been noteworthy trainers when Giovanni met them, but faced with a challenge, they grew at exponential speeds.

This time around, Giovanni intended to harness that power for himself. 

A shadow flickered overhead, and Giovanni watched a Mandibuzz descend to the grass. Maxie opened his mouth, ready to order Camerupt to strike the vulture down, but Giovanni stopped him. 

He almost didn't recognize the old man in the police uniform as his old friend Nanu, not until he opened his mouth. "Unlawful entry. Trespassing. Possible cruelty to Pokemon. I'm betting I could come up with other charges."

Giovanni dropped the Sandile and let it scurry away. "That call was a courtesy, not an invitation."

"I'm not here because you called." Nanu's eyes snapped to the Master Ball in Maxie's hands. "I'm here because Tapu Bulu called. Best to put him back now, before we have ourselves a disagreement."

Giovanni smiled. He could almost feel the power whipping up around his old friend. He believed the islanders called that power "aura.” He didn't know whether it was the shrine or the presence of the island guardian, but when Nanu pressed a hand to Mandibuzz's shoulder, the Pokemon shrieked with a fighting spirit almost otherworldly in nature.

Nidoking might find a worthy opponent after all. No matter. Giovanni had come too far to hold back now. Nanu would be nothing more than a warm-up.


	12. Sneasel

"What's the weather like out there?" Ash asked. Despite his father's repeated warnings, Rei had climbed onto Ash's shoulders to peer out the high-set window in the exam room.

The doctor, currently trying to wrap Ash's new cast in the bright yellow material that Rei and Pikachu had picked out together, bit down a smile. Ash understood. He hated sitting still this long, and Rei’s antics provided a welcome distraction. 

Especially when the doctor scolded Ash for putting weight on the arm and had to readjust it before setting the permanent cast. The procedure left Ash’s eyes watering.

"The rain stopped," Rei said. "Think we should sneak out for lunch? Maybe Rowlet can show you some of the tricks we've been practicing." 

"I don't know if we'll have time for all that." Professor Kukui leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. Pikachu seemed to have made nice, judging from the way he lounged on Kukui's shoulder and accepted chin scratches. 

Despite how busy he was today, Kukui had been the one who noticed that Ash had missed his doctor's appointment, arranged for the doctor to come to the stadium, and even brought Rei along to the exam room. Ash had never been more grateful to have someone like Kukui in his life. These days, there weren't many people who felt the need to fuss over him. He didn't take it for granted. "Thanks for looking out for me," Ash said. “Really.”

"Someone has to." Kukui grinned. “You’re been through quite the Whirlwind since you came to town, huh?”

Rei clambered down and bounced into a seat beside Ash. "Kiawe told us everything. I can’t believe you battled Moltres! That's so cool!” 

"That's not the first time," Ash said. "Remind me to tell you about the time my pal Trevor wanted to take Moltres's picture." 

Rei's eyes lit up, but the doctor interrupted. "We're all done here. Keep it dry and elevated when possible, and follow up with your primary physician when you get home, okay?"

"He will," Kukui spoke for him, and gave Ash such a “dad look” that he immediately bowed his head to hide a smile.

Rei had called dibs on signing the cast first, so Ash held still while Rei scribbled his name and a cartoon Pikachu. "Because Pikachu can't write his own name," Rei explained. "I bet Goh wants to sign next. Where is he?"

Ash would have liked to know that, too. 

Before Kukui had dragged him to the exam room, Ash had still been searching the stadium for any clues to where Goh and Nanu had disappeared. The phone call should have been a relief, but the conversation left a sour taste in his mouth. If Goh wanted to chase after the birds as he claimed, he would have invited Ash along. 

Unless... Ash scowled down at his cast. Did Goh leave him behind because of his injury? Was that it? He wouldn’t know until Goh decided to loop him in. Arceus, he hated it when they were separated-- hated it more when Goh kept him in the dark.

Kukui noticed his scowl. After a look from his dad, Rei volunteered to carry the doctor’s supplies out, and Kukui replaced him on the seat beside Ash. “What’s wrong, kiddo? After that battle earlier, I thought you’d be Hydro Pumped!”

“I guess.” Ash fiddled with his sling. Pikachu climbed down from Kukui’s shoulder and wedged his head under Ash’s free hand, preventing him from messing up the doctor’s work. “Hey, Professor… there’s something I need to tell you.”

Ash told him everything he had learned from his conversation with Ellis. Halfway through the explanation, Kukui got up to pace as he listened. “So let me get this straight. Team Rocket’s boss is traveling via Ultra Wormhole, gathering a gang of supervillains, and bringing them here to Alola.”

“Ellis said that Alola was a special place.” Ash frowned. “I mean, it is, but why is it special to them? Just because the wormholes form here?”

“Maybe.” Kukui brought a hand to his chin. “So this morning, did those Pokemon come through a wormhole, too? If Team Rocket is controlling the process, we have to assume they’re using a Pokemon like Lunala or Solgaleo to do it.”

“Or Naganadel,” Ash pointed out. If Team Rocket had infiltrated the Alolan Pokemon League, then they would have studied past matches. It wouldn’t take much to dig up information on the alien Pokemon.

Kukui shrugged. “No point in guessing without further evidence. Why don’t we track down Gladion? He needs to take those Ride Pokemon back to the Aether Foundation, and the pair of you can check out Burnet’s atmospheric readings. Might find some useful data on wormholes opening around the region. Gladion will need the distraction, anyway.”

At Ash’s blank look, Kukui cracked a grin. “Hau eked out a win by the skin of his teeth. Gladion didn’t take it well.” Ash laughed. Now he really regretted missing their match. 

With Goh and Gengar off on their secret missions, Ash would have snatched any opportunity to join the action. He met Pikachu’s grin with one of his own. “Ready, buddy? Let’s get moving.”

Matori picked the lock to the ranger cabin with worrying ease. Goh stood aside, clinging to Cinderace for warmth and taking in the view. 

According to his Rotom phone, the northern face of Mount Lanakila was riddled with sea caves and hidden crevices where rare Pokemon lived, but it was clear why so few people ventured here. The mountain slope was steep and slick with ice and skree. Without Kadabra to lead the way around white-capped boulders and along narrow ledges, Goh had no doubt he would strand himself somewhere among the dangerous precipice… if he didn’t fall to the forest far below.

“Cinnn…” Cinderace grumbled, and Goh caught the gist of his complaints. He should have brought Flygon or maybe his Abomasnow, to catch them if they took a tumble. Goh tried not to think about that.

Still, with the sky finally clear overhead and the ocean stretching across the horizon, it was quite the sight. The midday sun had drawn out the wildlife. On a nearby ledge, a Crabominable dozed in the sunshine. Farther down the mountain, Goh glimpsed a Ninetales weaving across a snowfield, glimmering fur blending perfectly into the surroundings. 

“Here.” Matori startled him out of his observations by pressing a bundle of clothes into his hands. Despite her stoic expression, she had wasted no time stealing a utility coat. Goh didn’t let his guilt stop him, either. He zipped up the dark wool coat and wrapped the scarf around Cinderace. Cinderace wrinkled his nose at the scarf but tucked his cold paws under it. 

“Will Kadabra be warm enough?” Goh asked. 

“His psychic powers help regulate his temperature.” Matori followed Kadabra around the cabin and along a path that Goh would have missed completely. “Watch your step.” 

Despite the warning, Goh struggled. His feet kept catching on rocks hidden under the snow, and the bell on his wrist jingled with every jolt. He kept his right hand curled around it to dampen the sound.

“What are we doing out here, anyway?” The more he thought about it, the more he wondered. Why had the legendary birds appeared at the recycling plant? There were certainly more attractive locations in Alola: the icy caps of the mountain for Articuno, the power plant for Zapdos, even Akala Island’s volcano for Moltres. 

Lugia might have been attracted by the battling between legends, but Goh had never heard of Ho-Oh appearing alongside the other birds. In fact, Ho-Oh held closer ties to the running beasts of Johto. What, exactly, made Matori so sure that Ho-Oh would appear in Alola, so far from home?

“Lugia is known as a guardian of the seas, correct?” Matori paused ahead, just before the path curved around a large boulder. “Likewise, Ho-Oh is known as a guardian of the skies. The heavens, if you would.”

“So?” Goh stumbled and almost fell face first into the snow. Luckily, Cinderace caught the back of his coat. “Thanks.”

“So, if you lived in ancient times, how would you describe other dimensions? Some scientists believe that the reason so few people see Ho-Oh is because, most of the time, it simply isn’t here.” 

“You think Ho-Oh can travel between worlds?” Goh had never heard of anything like that. Then again, he had only met two people who had ever caught a glimpse of Ho-Oh, Ash and an old man in Johto. With so little to go on, he supposed anything might be possible. “Wait. That still doesn’t explain why we’re here.”

“Well, this might.” Goh followed Matori around the boulder and stopped. Kadabra held out an arm, as if they needed the warning. The mountainside looked like it had been bombed… almost like someone had taken a giant ice cream scoop to the rock. An area the size of Professor Kukui’s house had been ripped right out of the mountain. 

Soot darkened the snow that ringed the blast site. Cinderace tapped Goh’s shoulder and pointed overhead at the boulder they were standing beside. Giant claws had scored the rock. The edges of the marks looked… melted. Goh had Cinderace stand beside the marks for scale and snapped some photos.

“When did this happen?”

“This morning,” Matori said, “and if Giovanni realizes it’s here, then he’ll want to act fast. So you better hurry.”

Goh frowned. “Just what do you expect me to do? I can’t catch it if I can’t find it.”

“Don’t you have that scanner thing on your phone?”

He flinched. His Aura Reader would be perfect for a task like this, but… “It doesn’t work. Not in Alola.”

Matori’s expressionless facade broke. Goh only caught a glimpse of her anger before she turned away and muttered a long string of profanities. Cinderace edged closer to Goh. Even Kadabra looked taken aback. “What do you mean it doesn’t work?!”

Goh held up his hands, which made the bell jingle. “I don’t know! Every time I open the app in Alola, I get an error message. It’s like there’s some kind of interference...” The sunlight flashed on something by Matori’s feet.

With a hand pressed to her temple, Matori turned to consult with Kadabra. While she was distracted, Goh crouched and picked up the feather. The colors shimmered across every shade of the rainbow.

It had been ten years since he’d seen a feather like this, but he recognized it immediately. “So Ho-Oh was here….”

Before he could tuck it away, the feather was yanked from his hand. A wild Sneasel dashed downhill with the feather clutched in her paw. “Hey!” Goh scrambled to his feet. Without thinking, he leaped off the path to chase after the Sneasel. He needed that clue!

Sneasel dashed across the snow and into a scraggly stand of trees. Goh half-ran, half-tumbled down the slope after her. He used the momentum to swing around the first tree. The Sneasel flung an Ice Shard back at him, and he had to duck. 

Luckily, the attack cost Sneasel a few precious seconds-- enough for Cinderace to catch up. He slid to a halt on the other end of the tree stand and cut off Sneasel’s escape.

Sneasel screeched, and Cinderace flinched back, ears curling at the shrill sound. She raced forward and jumped over him. 

She didn’t expect Cinderace to roll onto his back and kick up with his feet. She was flung backward into the snow. 

Sneasel was still shaking off the surprise when a Pokeball knocked into the back of her head. Goh’s Rotom phone chimed, “Nice!” as Sneasel vanished inside. The feather floated down into the snow, and Cinderace rolled back to his feet with a smug grin.

The Pokeball rocked twice before Sneasel broke free. She abandoned her prize and ran away, disappearing over a nearby ridge. 

Before they could celebrate, though, a cold gust tore up the side of the mountain. Goh lunged to grab the feather before it blew away. The trees creaked under the force of the wind, and a branch broke overhead. Cinderace appeared at Goh’s side just in time to kick it away.

In the distance, Goh thought he heard Matori yell something, but he was distracted by a song on the wind… something like the howl of an ocean current. Accepting a hand up from Cinderace, Goh made his way downhill to the edge of the trees.

Lugia crouched on the slope with wings spread wide across the snow. Dark blue eyes locked on Goh.

Earlier, when Goh fought Zapdos, he had been sure that Zapdos had not recognized him. With Lugia, he was sure that he felt a bond. He didn’t know how to describe it-- it was one of those vague gut feelings that Ash always handled better than he knew how to-- but Goh _knew_ this Pokemon.

More, even, than he knew the Lugia who had introduced him to Ash in the first place.

With the worst timing, Matori and Kadabra appeared beside him. He flung an arm in front of them, bell jingling. “Wait. Don’t move.”

Lugia turned to Matori with a growl. A wind, glittering with kicked-up snow, swirled around the legendary bird. Goh had to calm it down before Lugia blew them right off the mountain. 

He turned his palms up and kept his eyes on Lugia’s face. “Shh, it’s okay. Look at me. We’re all friends here.”

Matori, mercifully, stayed quiet. Cinderace, on the other hand, protested. “Cinnn…”

Goh spared Cinderace a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. I got this.” He slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the empty Pokeball he had been carrying around for days. Lugia’s gaze dropped to the Pokeball. Its head tilted to one side.

“I know you,” Goh said. “Thanks for your help earlier… Mew.”


	13. Mandibuzz

Goh stared up at the Lugia crouched over the snow. His heart pounded as fast as it had that afternoon all those year ago when he stood on that rooftop overlooking Vermilion Port. That was the day his adventure truly began, when he rode Lugia with Ash. Though he hadn’t known it at the time, Mew had also been there, disguised as a Psyduck.

Mew was tricky like that.

Goh had suspected that something was off from the moment Ellis threw the Master Ball at Zapdos and it stopped midair. Goh had seen Lugia in action, and he had the benefit of Ash’s experience as well. Lugia tended to attack with powerful blasts, so the trick with the Master Ball had caught his attention.

Then there was the timing. If Goh ran with the theory that the legendary birds had arrived in Alola via wormhole… how could Lugia have expected them, let alone flown all the way from Johto in such a short time? It didn’t make sense.

Goh hadn’t pieced it all together until now, but as he met Lugia’s eyes, he knew with absolute certainty that it wasn’t Lugia at all. For all he knew, the guardian of the seas was still hiding beneath the Whirl Islands half a world away.

Lugia spread its wings wide and, in a flash of colors, disappeared. With a giggle, Mew launched into Goh’s arms.

Goh laughed as he embraced his old friend. All the tension that he had been carrying since his first night in Malie City, the nerves he felt in Matori’s presence, all dissolved in an instant. “Oh, I missed you.”

Chirping excitedly, Mew patted Goh’s face. A velvet-soft paw brushed over the scar on his cheek. “Mew?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” Goh said, a wide smile softening his words. “What are you doing here? This is a long way from home for you.”

An image flashed through his mind: the wormhole above the stadium and the dark talons that had yanked it closed. Mew stared into his face as he pieced things together.

Goh turned back toward the blasted mountainside and the claw-scored boulder. Ho-Oh had black talons, didn’t it? Maybe Matori’s theory about Ho-Oh traveling between worlds held water after all.

Matori still waited, unmoving and poker-faced, beside Kadabra. Goh could not read her reaction at all. “So you did catch it. I wondered, since it never came to your rescue at Rocket headquarters.”

Mew’s eyes narrowed at Matori. Cinderace edged closer as well. Goh let Matori think what she would; if she was right about Giovanni’s plans, then they didn’t have time to rehash the events of the past year. So he warned her, “Don’t get any funny ideas,” and left it at that.

Mew squirmed out of his arms and floated over to Matori. Instead of focusing on her, though, Mew’s face dipped close to the Meowth whose head poked out of the front of Matori’s coat. “Mew?”

Meowth sleepily blinked up at the other Pokemon until Mew suddenly yanked one of his whiskers. With a hiss, Meowth scrambled out of Matori’s coat and jumped at Mew, who easily dodged away with a giggle.

Meowth chased Mew around Matori and then around Cinderace, who jumped from foot to foot in an attempt to stay out of the squabble. Mew ducked behind Goh and tittered at the fuming cat.

“Meowth?” Matori stared at the cat with mouth agape. Meowth growled at Mew once more before he returned to Matori’s side and, shivering, pressed against her leg.

“What was that about?” Goh asked.

“I don’t know.” Matori picked up Meowth and studied his face, which had settled back into his previous bored expression. “That’s more of a reaction than I’ve seen out of him since…”

Since the experiments. Behind Matori, Kadabra shifted uneasily in the snow. “They never recovered, did they?” he asked.

“No.” Matori folded her arms. “That doesn’t matter right now. If you would kindly refrain from pulling whiskers, maybe we can move along?”

“Right.” Goh reached up, and Mew nuzzled a cheek against his hand. The gesture reminded him of Pikachu, the master of cute-ing his way out of trouble, and of course thinking of Pikachu made him think of Ash. As he so often did, Goh wondered Ash would do in this situation... probably flash that thousand-watt grin and come up with some crazy idea.

Goh looked up at the clear sky. “Hey, Mew? What happened with the legendary birds?” 

Mew blinked, and Goh had a vision of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos resting together in a dark ruin. Water spilled down the stone walls and pooled on the floor. Bits of shrubbery and piles of rubble lined the walls, and a crumbling staircase rose along one wall. The vision faded, and Goh took a deep breath. If he hadn’t recognized the ruins, then there was a chance Team Rocket wouldn’t know about them, either. 

“Well?” Matori asked.

“They’re safe for now,” Goh said. “You know, in weather like this, Ho-Oh could have flown off anywhere. I don’t think we’ll find it by aimlessly walking around.”

“What do you suggest then?”

Mew caught on and crooned. The croon deepened and took on a melodic tone as Mew transformed back into Lugia. Goh grinned. “I think we need to fly.”

Gladion had been glad for an excuse to skip the final two matches of the day. Rei, on the other hand, complained bitterly about Ash leaving him behind. “Come on, you have to stay! Kiawe’s up against Ryuki. Don’t you want to see a two-Turtonator wrestling match?”

Ash had to admit, that sounded like a recipe for disaster and absolutely something he wanted to see, but there were more important things at stake. He ruffled Rei’s hair. “Sorry. You think you could do me a favor, though? Gengar will be coming back here, and it’s really important that I know right away when he does. Do you think you can have your mom call me?”

Rei hugged Rowlet to his chest. “I have my own phone, you know.”

“Really?” Ash could remember when he had to use the computers at the Pokemon Center to call home. He felt so old. “Then can you call me?”

Rei reluctantly agreed. As Ash followed Gladion away, he worried that the job wouldn’t be enough to keep Rei from tailing along. Ash knew how well he had followed directions as a ten-year-old.

Gladion reassured him, “Rei’s a good kid. He actually uses his brain once in a while, unlike someone else we know.” He gently rapped his knuckles against Ash’s head. Ash ducked away with a laugh.

Outside, Gladion called on Noivern and Garchomp, and Ash suggested a race to the Aether Foundation. Once they took to the air, that plan changed.

Ash smelled the smoke first and turned Garchomp around. “Where is that coming from?”

Gladion pointed eastward. They both recognized the general direction of the Ruins of Abundance. “Just my luck today,” Gladion muttered. “We better check it out.”

They flew fast enough for the wind to scour their faces, and Pikachu tucked himself under Ash’s shirt. As they approached the rocky outcropping that disguised the entrance to the ruins, Ash felt something like a vibration through the air, that left his nerves prickling and goosebumps rising on his arms.

The moment they landed, Ash released Lucario. The aura Pokemon immediately bristled and turned toward the shrine with narrowed eyes. Gladion noticed and asked, “Do you feel something?”

“Yeah. Something bad happened here.” Ash didn’t know more than that. That was the trouble with aura. He could sense something, but it was always so vague as to be useless.

Gladion asked Noivern and Garchomp to wait at the entrance. They entered the shrine, picking their way around fissures in the stone that had not been there the last time Ash visited. Inside, they discovered the source of the smoke.

The wooden dais, where the kahuna appealed to the island guardian, had been set aflame. The stone tablet had fallen through the burning platform and cracked in half. Worse than that, Tapu Bulu’s hidden garden had been ravaged. Vines lie broken in the grass. The Oran berry tree had been toppled. Its roots reached toward the smoke-filled sky.

Lucario dashed forward, and Ash hurried to follow. Halfway across the garden, Lucario crouched beside a pile of boulders and howled. “What is it?” Ash asked. Lucario threw his shoulder against one of the rocks. Ash jumped in to help. Together, they shoved the rock aside.

Only then did Ash glimpse a black police jacket under the rubble. “Gladion, get over here! Hurry!”

The next few minutes felt like an hour as they pushed and shoved the rocks aside. Nanu was breathing, but only just. Mandibuzz had been caught in the attack and apparently tried to shield her trainer by wrapping her wings around him. “Probably saved his life,” Gladion muttered, but the attack left her wings crooked in the wrong places. 

Ash touched the side of Mandibuzz’s neck to feel for a pulse. Instead, the moment his finger touched skin he felt a zap, hot and sharp as any shock from Pikachu. “What was that?”

Lucario placed a paw on Ash’s shoulder. “Rio rio.” He gestured for Ash to look again, and Ash took a deep breath. If he let his mind relax, he thought he could just make out a glimmering golden aura around Mandibuzz. Ash recognized the aura that gave Totem Pokemon their strength, but Mandibuzz was no Totem. Nanu must have used his role as kahuna to boost her strength.

Even unconscious, Mandibuzz radiated with the power that she had borrowed to protect this place and her trainer. 

“What are you doing?” Gladion snapped. “Help me move them!”

Ash steeled himself and touched Mandibuzz again. The aura crackled under his hands, hot and sharp, but he breathed through it. “It’s okay, we’re here to help,” he murmured. Gladion snorted impatiently. Ash ignored him and continued to murmur soothing words until the aura faded from around Mandibuzz and he could touch the Pokemon without feeling like he was holding a live wire. It worried him that without the aura, Mandibuzz felt cool to the touch. 

Lucario had been reluctant to touch Mandibuzz, but he helped Gladion dig Nanu out of the debris. Even Pikachu helped, and though he couldn’t do much more than shift some of the smaller rocks, Ash appreciated his support. Finally Gladion was able to shift Nanu onto his back. 

“What happened here?” Gladion asked as they made their way back to Noivern and Garchomp. “If things are this bad, Tapu Bulu must have been defeated. Who’s strong enough to do that?”

Ash stared at the rubble. That had been a Rock Tomb, he was certain of it. “I can think of one person.”


	14. Blissey

Flying with Mew took years off Goh’s life. Unlike the real Lugia, Mew had no concern for passengers. The first somersault flung Goh and Matori right back into the snow. After that, Cinderace and Meowth returned to their Pokeballs, but Kadabra kept a firm grip on both humans-- and twice used his kinetic powers to stop them from falling off again.

Mew-as-Lugia circled on the air currents above the northern mountainside. Goh pressed his hands against the white scales, rough as asphalt but a welcome source of warmth while the cold wind whipped around them. Matori, silent and a little wide-eyed, flattened her hands against the scales as well. 

The sun sparkled off the Hokulani Observatory to the east, and it burned the fog off the coastal forest to the west. As they swept down the mountainside, Goh caught a glimpse of a lake through the trees. He leaned forward. “What’s that?”

The images of the Kanto birds flashed through his mind, which just raised his curiosity. “Is that where you hid them?”

Mew crooned, and suddenly Goh’s vision shifted. Gold sparks overlaid everything he saw… shimmering along Lugia’s scales, radiating from the mountains and trees, and swirling in a tight ball over the lake he’d seen. Goh whipped his head around. The gold sparks seemed to concentrate in certain areas around the island: the lake, the observatory, above the stadium behind them… but the more he looked, the more he saw the glitter of light rising over the island like bits of dust caught in a sunbeam. 

“What’s wrong with you?” Matori asked. Even she seemed to glow faintly with the gold light, but beside her, the light disappeared around Kadabra, as if a coat of darkness clung to the Pokemon’s skin. 

Curious, Goh held up one of his hands. His hand gave off a faint glow, too.

“Is this aura?” he asked. He wondered if this was how Ash saw the world, everything sparkling with light. It was beautiful.

Mew telepathically nudged Goh’s attention back toward the lake, quickly fading into the distance behind them. If he squinted, he could just make out that the concentrated light was actually three glowing orbs-- three lights for three birds. 

Mew was giving him an opportunity here. “Can you take us higher?”

Mew shot upward. To avoid falling, Goh wrapped his arms around one of Lugia’s purple fins while Kadabra’s psychic power glued him and Matori to Lugia’s back. Mew leveled out somewhere above Mount Lanakila’s peak. Goh grinned. From there, they could see the whole island.

What he didn’t expect was the _brightness_. The stadium at the top of the mountain blazed like a torch. He spotted another concentration of light at the southern base of the mountain, and then there was Malie City. The gold gave way to blinding white, so glaring that when Goh looked away, it left sunspots in his eyes.

He blinked and scrubbed his eyes, and when he focused on the city again, the gold light faded from his vision. Mew swiveled its head to look at him. Goh relaxed his grip on the purple fin and shifted back toward the middle of Lugia’s back.

“What is going on?” Matori hissed.

Goh considered the city in the distance. If that light had been aura, maybe it was so bright simply because of the number of people and Pokemon in one place. There had been four or five other bright spots around the island that could just as easily point to Ho-Oh... but if the Kanto birds had appeared as glowing orbs, Ho-Oh would shine even brighter.

“I think Ho-Oh might be hiding in Malie City,” he said.

“Impossible. You don’t think a city full of people would notice a giant bird blasting fire all over the place?” A headwind blew loose hair into Matori’s face, and she impatiently shoved it back. “If we don’t move, people at the stadium will see us.”

With his vision back to normal, Goh glanced down at the stadium below them. He was sure that people had already spotted Lugia in the sky. The rumor would get back to Team Rocket before long. Maybe they could use that to their advantage. “Mew, do you think you could--”

The Shadow Ball struck them from below. The force of it flung Goh forward. He wrapped his arms around Lugia’s neck. Mew flapped frantically to catch the air current. Half upside-down, Goh saw the second attack coming. “Watch out!”

Mew plunged sideways, and the second Shadow Ball missed its wing by inches. They rolled midair before Mew dove down the mountainside. Goh clung on as they skimmed over treetops. Matori shouted, “Reflect!”

The next attack struck them from behind. A beam of red energy shattered Kadabra’s Reflect and caught Mew in the back. Mew rolled forward.

Goh lost his grip. For a moment, it was as if time slowed down as his hands stretched toward Mew, still disguised as Lugia… Their eyes caught, and then the air whooshed past Goh as he fell.

Gladion insisted on taking the injured kahuna to the Aether Foundation. Ash argued that the hospital in Malie City was closer, but with Team Rocket’s whereabouts still unknown, Gladion persuaded him that Aether Paradise would be safer. “I trained the security staff myself,” he pointed out.

Ash felt better about that. Lillie often complained how strict Gladion had become about safety. He was less enthused when their Pokemon touched down in the docking area and no one greeted them. He noticed that a wall of crates had built up along one wall and wondered why no one had cleared the space yet.

“Where is everyone?” Ash asked. With no one else around, the sterile white walls, the eerie silence… he tucked one hand against the Charizard carrying Mandibuzz. Pikachu hopped onto Garchomp’s head for a higher view.

“Everyone must be up at the stadium.” Gladion sighed. “I forgot. They wanted to cheer me on, but I guess they’ll have to cheer for you now.” 

Ash dismissed the idea. “I have a feeling that they care more about supporting you than anything else that happens at the League. Now come on, Nanu needs us.”

Gladion led them to the medical bay, where they finally found some familiar faces. Blissey wasted no time. She directed Gladion how to place Nanu on the hospital cot, and Comfey released a sweet scent that soon had the room smelling like a meadow. Ash helped Charizard shift Mandibuzz onto another table and waited beside the injured Pokemon.

He tried to call Goh and then Lusamine, but neither answered.

Blissey waved her stubby arms over Nanu, and a pink glow settled over the kahuna. Gladion stepped back to give Blissey space to work. “She’s the best,” he assured Ash. “When Rei startled that Toxapex last year, Blissey patched him up in no time.”

Ash imagined how that situation must have played out. For Blissey to even get involved, Rei’s parents and Auntie Lillie would have had to sign off on it, and if they trusted the Pokemon, Ash felt a hundred times better about it. 

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that they had come to the wrong place. Beside him, Pikachu’s ears drooped with worry. “You feel it, don’t you?” Ash asked.

Gladion folded his arms. “Feel what? You were acting strange back at the shrine, too.” 

Ash explained about the energy that had fizzled around Mandibuzz, and Gladion’s expression softened. “That must have been Tapu Bulu’s blessing,” Gladion said. “I knew the tapus could lend their strength to a kahuna in battle, but I didn’t realize that meant sharing aura… is that how it works with Totem Pokemon?”

The theorizing reminded Ash of how Goh could run with a mystery. He glanced across the room to the injured kahuna. Comfey had tugged a white sheet up to his shoulders. It was all too easy to imagine who else might end up in a hospital bed if he didn’t put a stop to Team Rocket’s schemes. The thought raised his hackles.

Ash knew the Rock Tomb had been Giovanni’s work. Not many trainers would ever go for a kill like that. “We have to find out where they’re hiding,” Ash said. “Team Rocket won’t stop until someone stops them.”

“And that someone’s going to be you?” Gladion shook his head. "If Nanu couldn't take them, what makes you think you can? With Tapu Bulu's blessing, Nanu should have been at the height of his power, and he still ended up here. You're already hurt.”

Ash scowled at the yellow cast. “So what? We’ve been through worse scrapes.”

Garchomp, Charizard, and Noivern had been hovering by the door. They picked up on Ash’s agitation and shuffled anxiously. Garchomp and Noivern both tried to enter the room at the same time and bonked heads. Gladion crossed to the doorway and soothed them with pats on the shoulder. 

Meanwhile Pikachu rubbed his cheek against Ash’s arm-- less soothing, more jolting with enough electricity to make his hair stand up. “Ouch! What was that for?”

Blissey lost patience with the other Pokemon distracting her. She bustled everyone out of the room. Gladion huffed at the rough treatment. “Technically, I’m your boss. You could be more polite.” Blissey stuck out her tongue and slammed the door shut.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you use the boss line,” Ash said.

“Clearly it works so well.” Gladion shrugged. “Let’s find some lunch, and then we might as well check out Burnet’s research since we’re here.”

They found rows of empty tables in the cafeteria. The silence reinforced Ash’s instinct that something wasn’t right, but Gladion soon fixed that. Between both of their League teams and the Ride Pokemon, the room quickly filled with Pokemon munching away on berries and PokeBeans. Gladion even produced a bottle of ketchup for Pikachu, who darted to the other end of the table before Ash could snatch it away. “You’ll get sick if you drink that whole thing,” he warned. Pikachu accepted the challenge with a smirk.

Ash relaxed as he watched Garchomp play-wrestling with Incineroar. The two Lycanroc seemed to be holding some kind of speed-eating contest. Gladion’s Zoroark stared down Ash’s Lucario for about five seconds before Dragonite wrapped them both in a big hug. Gladion burst out laughing as Zoroark squirmed out of the embrace and ruffled his fur like an offended cat. 

Still clutching the ketchup bottle, Pikachu returned to Ash’s side and gave him a knowing look. After living with Goh’s ever-growing horde at Cerise Park, it was all too easy to feel lonely when they weren’t surrounded by a crowd of Pokemon. The bustle in the cafeteria almost felt like home. Ash finished his sandwich and tugged Pikachu closer, resting his chin on his buddy’s head.

“Better now with food in your stomach?” Gladion guessed. He had finished and moved on to cutting apple slices. Silvally’s metallic beak flashed as it snapped the slices out of the air. Ash noted the black eyes and feathers, which meant it was operating on Dark Memory.

“Yeah, thanks,” Ash said. Because he had been watching Silvally eat, he noticed the moment when Silvally’s attention snapped to the far door. He leaped onto the table and lowered his head with a growl. The surrounding Pokemon turned as one.

A man leaned into the room with his hands braced on the top of the doorframe. He had the gaunt face of a man aged beyond his years. Ash studied the man’s square jaw, thin eyebrows, blue hair… there was no doubt. “Cyrus? What are you doing here?” 

“That’s my question. This building should have been evacuated.” Cyrus scanned the crowd of Pokemon before his eyes settled on Gladion. “You are Lusamine’s son, correct? Would you come with me to answer some questions?”

Without hesitation, Gladion stepped onto the table beside Silvally. “You’re not in a position to ask me anything. You’re trespassing, and you’re upsetting my partner.”

“Oh? You must not have heard.” Cyrus dropped his arms. When he stepped into the room, his jacket fell open to reveal a black shirt emblazoned with a familiar “R.” Instead of the usual red, though, the letter had been printed in a rainbow pattern. “Aether Paradise now belongs to Team Rocket.”

Goh opened his eyes to a roaring headache and an unfamiliar room. He groaned as he sat up. There was no sign of Matori, but Cinderace dozed in a nearby chair with Zee draped over his lap. A Psyduck splayed across the foot of the bed, one flipper twitching in its sleep.

A curtain had been pulled over the window, but a nearby lamp illuminated shelves crammed with art and souvenirs from around the world. Above the bed, a cross stitch had been framed in gold. It looked homey enough until Goh read it: “Bless this Wretched Hive of Scum and Villainy.” 

Now what kind of place had he ended up?


	15. Golisopod

Goh checked the window first. He did not recognize the red tile rooftops or the graffitied sea wall in the distance. “Rotom, where are we?” 

“Po Town: formerly an abandoned outpost, in recent years the town has seen an artistic renaissance.” Rotom pulled up a map of the island. The town lay directly opposite where they needed to go. Great.

Goh sat on the edge of the bed. Psyduck rolled upright and leaned against his arm. Absently he poked at the chubby duck belly. “What’s with you and this form, huh?” Psyduck giggled, and in a shimmer of color, Mew transformed first to its original pink form, then to a Cutiefly. It buzzed once around Goh’s head before nestling into the front of his hair.

Too charmed to protest, Goh focused instead on gaining his bearings. Something had chased them down the mountain, but when he tried to picture their attacker, his memory blanked. The jacket from the ranger station hung over the chair, looking worse for wear-- as if he had rolled down a hillside in it. Cinderace stirred, and Zee blinked awake. When he asked if they were hurt, they rushed over-- Zee pressing into his hands with a series of worried chirps, Cinderace fussing over the lump on the back of Goh’s head. 

As his Pokemon finished checking him over, the door opened. A tall man strode in with thumbs tucked into his belt and a Golisopod at his shoulder. Matori and her Meowth followed close behind.

Too late, Goh remembered that he had wanted to hide Zee from the former Rocket member. He protectively tucked the Porygon-Z behind him. If Matori was surprised, she did not show it, although Meowth skewered Zee with a dirty look. Sputtering, Zee came around Goh’s other side and hovered over Cinderace’s shoulder.

The tall man watched the exchange without comment, but he visibly brightened when he noticed Cutiefly. “You like Bug types?”

“Hm? Sure.” Goh pulled up his Pokedex and sorted the index by typing. “See? I have almost all of them now. I actually hoped to track down a Wimpod on this trip…” He trailed off as he connected the tiny Wimpod with the Golisopod looming at the man’s shoulder. 

Goh hopped up. Without thinking, he snatched two of Golisopod’s arms in a friendly greeting. “Look at you! Wow, you’re a tough guy, aren’t you? They say your shell is hard as a diamond. How often do you shed it? Is it true that you meditate water? And that you don’t like Grapploct? Wait, Grapploct are banned in Alola, aren’t they?” Unable to resist, Goh yanked Golisopod into a hug. “Ahh, I want one of my own!”

“Whoa there.” The tall man placed a hand on Goh’s forehead. With worrying ease, the man backed Goh up until his knees hit the edge of the bed, and he was forced to sit again. “Much as Golisopod here appreciates a fan, there’ll be time for all that later. Mattie here says we got a crisis brewin’.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Matori said. Her voice remained toneless as ever, but her eyes narrowed at Goh. “Where did your friend go?”

“My friend?” Goh did not follow until Matori silently mouthed the word “Mew.” Only then did he realize that she had not drawn the connection between Mew and the Cutiefly in his hair. “Oh, ah, around.”

Golisopod’s trainer crossed his arms. The Pokemon mirrored the gesture, three sets of arms folding in quick succession. “Listen here. Big bad Guzma might have turned this place around, but that doesn’t mean I’ve gone soft. I can still put the beat down on anyone who threatens _my_ island. You got that?”

Goh gulped. Before his eyes, Guzma seemed to grow ten feet, and Goh very much felt like a bug about to get squished. “Yep. Sure. No problem.”

“You sure?” Guzma nodded to Golisopod, who pulled a file box from one of the crowded bookcases. Goh had not noticed before, but when Golisopod set it on the ground, Goh recognized the labels from Cerise Laboratory. Goh had not seen the box since he escaped from Team Rocket headquarters. “This is your research, right? Scary stuff. We’re not going to have a problem, are we?” 

Goh knew what he was talking about. When Matori had been scheming to create a new Pokemon from Mew’s DNA, Goh had looked into all kinds of Pokemon created or modified by humans. He had learned more about some of his own Pokemon, from Golurk to Grimer, but the more he dug, the grimmer his discoveries became. So many times, the creation of new Pokemon resulted in other, darker creations: weapons, viruses, even the process of creating Shadow Pokemon. Eventually, afraid of what else he might find, Goh decided to stop looking.

Matori came to his defense. “Would I bring you a problem? I’m the one who fixes things around here.”

Goh didn’t know what she meant, but Guzma promptly dropped his intimidation stance. “That’s true. You want to vouch for the mad scientist, I won’t stop you.”

“Mad scientist?” Goh sputtered. Cinderace laughed. Before he could point out that Matori had started him down that research spiral, and that she had stolen the files for a purpose not yet clear to him, Goh was interrupted by his stomach. 

Guzma chuckled and hauled him upright by the arm. The movement made the bell on Goh’s wrist jingle, but Guzma paid it no mind. “Come on, let’s get some food in ya while we come up with a plan.”

Guzma led them outside and down the street to a food stall. Instead of a sign, blotchy graffiti covered the front of the stall. “Hipsters,” Guzma grumbled. “All style, no sense. At least the food’s improved around here. Hey, Tupp, hook us up with some of your pork buns, yeah?” The cook waved, and only then did Matori prompt Guzma to ask about allergies. Goh bit down a smile. He got the impression that Matori reminded Guzma of a lot of things. 

Cinderace’s nose twitched. The town was nowhere as large as Malie City, but it was just as over-the-top. The air was heavy with the conflicting smells of fried food, burning incense, and what might have been spray paint. Graffiti covered practically every inch of available space, but instead of looking messy, it reminded Goh of the chaotic energy of Unova’s Nacrene City.

As they waited for the food, Goh studied one of the designs: a circle of stick figures under gold sparks. The image reminded him of the lights Mew had shown him. “Hey, what’s this?” 

Guzma frowned. “I think that’s supposed to be the Manalo Festival. That happened… what, eleven years ago? An Ultra Beast called Necrozma tried to steal all the life energy from the islands. A lot of people got sick. Then everyone came together to send energy through an Ultra Wormhole, and I guess that solved the problem.”

“Life energy?” Goh turned to Guzma. “That means aura, right?”

“Whatever you want to call it,” he said. “I grew up here, so I didn’t always appreciate it… but Alola’s bursting with life. It’s everywhere-- from the tapus and the Totems, to all those punks with their Z-Moves, and even the ground itself. More than enough to go around, so there was no need for Necrozma to go nuts about it.”

“Why?” Matori asked. “What are you thinking?”

Goh did not answer right away. He asked Rotom to pull up the Aura Reader. The usual error message popped up, but Goh ignored it and dug into the programming. He finally understood the problem. The Aura Reader had been working all along, but all the background energy in Alola had been overwhelming the sensor. If he adjusted the scanner’s sensitivity, he just might make it work. 

Matori watched over his shoulder as Guzma retrieved their food. Goh fiddled with the settings, only remembering to eat at Cinderace’s prompting, until finally the scanner popped up with a large starburst in the center of the screen. “What’s that?” Matori asked.

Goh pointed to the Cutiefly on his head, happily munching through bits of meat bun that Guzma had pinched off for it. When she finally made the connection, Matori gasped. “Wait, you mean…” Goh nodded, glancing at Guzma to see if he had noticed. Goh didn’t know him well enough to trust him with Mew’s secret.

Matori took the hint and stayed quiet. “So your app works now. That means we can find Ho-Oh that much faster.” At her feet, Meowth had finished his meal, but his tail twitched as he eyed Golisopod’s bun. Golisopod hissed and gobbled the rest before Meowth could steal it. 

Zee noticed and offered his bun to Meowth; after all, he ate electricity, so the bun did nothing for him. Meowth hesitated only a moment before tapping Zee’s fin with a paw. Goh smiled as he watched Meowth dig in, but Matori watched with a look of utter bafflement. 

“Guess we’ll head for Malie City and find out,” Goh said. 

“Hold up,” Guzma said. “You two are looking for some kind of big Pokemon, right? You think you need some kind of gadget for that?”

Matori folded her arms. “If we don’t find Ho-Oh before Giovanni does, then we’re out of time and out of luck. What do you suggest?” 

“Eggheads. Always overthinking.” Guzma held a hand to his forehead. “Look, I don’t know much about Ho-Oh, but it’s big, right? There’s really only one place in Malie City where a Pokemon that big could be hiding-- Malie Garden. That’s where you look.”

Goh thought back to the night before, when Ash had stopped to watch the Oricorio dancing outside the gates of Malie Garden. He wanted to kick himself now for not going in. “Okay, so we head toward Malie Garden. What about that Pokemon who attacked us? Matori, did you get a good look at it?”

“No,” she said. “Big, fast, and red-- that’s all I saw.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Guzma said. “I told ya, no one’s messing with my island. I’ll tag along and protect ya from the beasties. You just make sure to send these Team Rocket jokers packing.”

Goh wondered if he should point out that Guzma might not be able to take on an attacker that even Mew struggled against, or if he should mention Matori’s affiliation with Team Rocket. He decided not to muddy the waters. Guzma scared him, and if it came down to a fight, Goh wanted him on their side. 

Cutiefly pressed a spindly leg to Goh’s forehead, and for a moment, he glimpsed a gold light surrounding Guzma. Then he blinked, and it was gone. Huh. Not sure what to make of Mew’s insight, Goh focused on finding a way back across the island. 

In a room filled with his and Gladion’s battle partners, Ash expected to have the upper hand in a fight. Cyrus had challenged two of Alola’s strongest trainers on Gladion’s home turf, where they both had trained as Ultra Guardians. 

So it caught Ash off-guard when Cyrus calmly said, “You could save me some time and surrender, but you’re too proud for that, aren’t you? Let’s finish this quickly.”

Cyrus released two Pokemon. Ash tried to remember what Pokemon Cyrus had used when Ash faced him in Sinnoh, but then he remembered that this person probably wasn’t the same person he had known before. If he was anything like Ellis, Cyrus had come from another world, and he only happened to look like the Team Galactic leader who Ash had battled.

That realization did not prepare him for what happened next. 

Two giants loomed over Ash and Gladion: the steely-eyed dragon of time Dialga and the lustrous plated dragon of space Palkia. They should not have been able to fit into the cafeteria without bending their heads, but as Ash watched, the ceiling soared overhead. The floor stretched like taffy under their feet. Gladion and Silvally tumbled off the table where they had been standing. All the tables, the Ride Pokemon, and the walls disappeared into the distance. 

Ash wrapped his arms around Pikachu, afraid of losing him in the shifting space, and Lucario placed both paws on Ash’s shoulders. Gladion managed to place hands on Silvally and Noivern, but the rest of his Pokemon had been warped beyond reach.

Ash froze in place. His mouth went dry. In his arms, Pikachu whimpered. Cyrus had just reduced their available battle partners to four-- against the creators of time and space. Ash had been in jams before, but he had no idea how they were going to get out of this one.

Beside him, Gladion gritted his teeth. “Is this an illusion?” 

“No. Dialga and Palkia can change reality itself.” The last time Ash had seen them, they had given birth to an entire new universe. Back then, they had been chained. 

“Good thing we can do that, too,” Gladion said. Ash gaped at him and tried to figure out how he could be so optimistic. “Come on, where’s that Ash Ketchum spirit? You know we can’t lose here. There are too many people counting on us.”

Right. Ash knew that. Nanu was counting on them. They had to assume, with Cyrus claiming Aether Paradise for Team Rocket, that they had taken some Aether Foundation members hostage-- including Gladion’s mother, who had been expecting their visit. 

So it didn’t surprise him when Gladion pointed Silvally toward Dialga. “Use Crush Claw!” Silvally raced forward and smashed his claws down on Dialga’s back… only to appear on the dragon’s other side. Silvally crashed to the floor. Dialga shivered, massive armored head tilting back and forth, as if the blow had tickled.

It took Ash a moment to realize that the blow had not connected at all. Dialga had shifted Silvally forward in time. Silvally’s dive would have ended in the same place, but he arrived almost a full second before he should have-- meaning that he missed the chance to attack.

Gladion didn’t have time to think it over. “Silvally, get out of there!”

The spines along Dialga’s and Palkia’s heads glowed yellow as energy built up. Simultaneously they bent their heads toward Silvally. Pikachu squirmed out of Ash’s arms and, using Quick Attack, raced to Silvally’s side. Pikachu leaped up and absorbed the twin Thunderbolts with a strangled cry. 

“No! Pikachu!” Lucario threw an arm in front of Ash, stopping him from running forward. Just as well-- Silvally plucked Pikachu from the air, dodged another Thunderbolt, and raced back to Gladion. Silvally placed Pikachu on the floor and then crouched over him, barking defensively.

Ash picked Pikachu up, and the residual sparks prickled his fingers. “You okay, buddy?” 

Pikachu huffed. “Pikapi.” He pushed himself upright in Ash’s arms and returned his attention to the battle.

“Such displays of sentimentality… what a waste. I suppose you think that the power of friendship will save you, or some such nonsense. It won’t.” Behind the looming dragons, Cyrus stood with both hands folded tucked behind his back. “I’ll give you one more chance. Stand down. You cannot win here.”

“Tch…” Gladion crouched beside Silvally. Together they stared at the dragons, still as statues and brimming with so much power that the air shimmered with it. “Hey, champion. Have you figured out how to get us out of this yet?”

Ash choked out a laugh. Goh was always doing that, expecting him to strategize on the fly. His friends gave him way too much credit.

Then Lucario stepped forward. “Lu?” His head tilted, and Ash followed his gaze.

Dialga and Palkia did not move, not until Cyrus lost patience and ordered them to use Earth Power. Noivern swooped up Gladion, Ash, and Pikachu as Lucario and Silvally dodged the exploding cracks in the floor. 

Even with that evidence of power, Ash saw their chance. “They’re not at full power.”

Gladion looked at him like he might have a screw loose, so he hurried to explain. “They’re too calm. Before, when Cyrus-- the other Cyrus-- I think-- when they were caught in the Red Chain, they fought with everything they had, and when they broke loose, they rampaged to the point that Sinnoh could have been destroyed.”

“Why are you smiling?” Gladion asked. He looped an arm around Ash to keep him and Pikachu from falling off Noivern’s back. “You’re saying that they get scarier than this?”

Suddenly Noivern was flying much closer to the floor. Palkia aimed a Thunderbolt at Noivern, and Pikachu leaped up to counter with a Thunderbolt of his own. It didn’t deflect the attack entirely, but Pikachu bought them an extra second to avoid the full brunt of the attack.

“Still plenty strong,” Ash said. “They control time and space, right? So our best bet is to break that control.”

With Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash rolled off Noivern’s back and returned to Lucario’s side. “Ready?” he asked. Lucario eagerly howled, and Silvally joined in. 

Gladion rode Noivern straight up to their foes. “Boomburst!” Noivern released a series of echoing cries directly at the dragons. While Palkia tried to swat Noivern out of the air, Lucario dashed forward and used Double Team. Using his shadow clones for cover, Lucario managed to get in a few strikes. Dialga’s knees buckled.

“How annoying,” Cyrus said. “Palkia, drive them back with Surf!”

A wall of water rose out of nowhere and swept Lucario and Noivern backward. Even as far back as he stood-- at this point, Ash could not see any walls or ceiling, just the vague blur of distance-- the water reached knee level and almost knocked him down. Noivern managed to roll and bellyflopped onto the surface, sparing Gladion the impact. “Everyone okay?” Ash called.

“I think that’s it for Noivern,” Gladion said. He recalled Noivern and stumbled through the water to Silvally. “Think you can take the lead? Pikachu can ride Silvally close enough to use a Z-Move.”

“You up to it?” Ash asked. Pikachu bared his teeth.

“Are you still denying the truth of the situation? You have no path to victory.” Cyrus opened his arms. “Spacial Rend! Roar of Time!”

Palkia raised an arm and slashed down, released a crescent blade of pink energy. Dialga fired a beam of blue light from his mouth. Lucario shoved Ash and Gladion to either side. They rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the attacks. Once again, Ash’s instincts roared that these were not legendary Pokemon at their full power. Lucky for them!

Pikachu was already halfway across to the dragons, riding on Silvally’s back. Silvally distracted the dragons with a series of Air Slashes.

Gladion wasted no time yanking Ash to his feet. “Z-Move, now!”

Once again, the cast posed a challenge. “Lucario, move with me!” Ash led them through the series of poses. On Silvally’s back, Pikachu moved through the poses with exact timing. Ash could feel the energy building up and buzzing through him, right down to his fingertips. He could almost feel the electricity as a ball in his hands as he thrust his arms forward. “10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!”

Pikachu leapt from Silvally’s back and spun toward Dialga and Palkia. He fired seven bolts of electricity, each a different color of the rainbow. Thunder boomed, deafeningly around the space.

Dialga shuddered, and Palkia stumbled forward. 

Ash had not realized that Gladion had been holding him up through the Z-Move poses until Gladion suddenly dropped him. Instead of water, his butt hit the cafeteria floor. His clothes were still soaked, his heart was still pounding heavily in his chest, but the room had zapped back to normal: ceiling, tables, his Pokemon crowding around him. 

Even crushed between Dragonite and Incineroar, Ash kept his eyes glued on the doorway. With twin flashes of red light, Cyrus recalled the dragons. Before he could escape, Silvally pinned him to the wall, front claws digging into Cyrus’s shirt over that strange rainbow-colored “R.” 

It took Ash a minute to extract himself from the Pokemon pile. By the time he stumbled over to Pikachu, Gladion had stripped Cyrus of some kind of communication device and a belt holster of Master Balls. He grimaced at the sight of the purple Pokeballs. “I owe Goh an apology, don’t I?”

In Ash’s arm, Pikachu snickered. Ash eyed the Master Balls with distrust. He had questions about how Cyrus controlled the legendary Pokemon, but before he could ask anything, Gladion snarled, “Now what did you mean, Aether Paradise belongs to Team Rocket?”

Right. Important questions first.

Cyrus pressed his lips together as he considered. “If you’re here, you must know that we’re operating on a tight timeline. Do you really want to waste time on an interrogation?”

“Yes, I do.” Silvally echoed Gladion’s growl. “Tell me everything you know about Team Rocket’s plan.”

Clutching Pikachu, Ash left the interrogation to Gladion. The cafeteria floor had been cracked in half a dozen places, but considering the scale of the battle that had just occurred, he was just grateful that Palkia had not taken the whole building down. Ash collected their Pokemon and rushed back to the infirmary. 

They had counted on Aether Paradise as a safe haven, but they had brought Nanu, injured and defenseless, straight to the enemy. Luckily, he did not run into anyone in the halls. 

If Team Rocket had invaded Aether Paradise, where were all the troops? Shouldn’t he see guards somewhere? 

He reached the hallway outside Nanu’s room before his phone rang. Pikachu facepalmed as Ash scrambled to silence it. “Rotom, shh! Be quiet!” Rotom continued to blare until he hit the answer button. “Hello?”

“Ash!” Goh made his name sound like his favorite word. The sound dissolved the tension in Ash’s chest and brought a smile unbidden to his face. “Where are you now? I tried to call Rei, but he hasn’t seen you… or Gengar? What happened to Gengar?”

“Um, a lot’s happened… Wait, you knew Rei had a phone?” Pikachu rolled his eyes, and Ash realized that he had already gone off track. “Never mind. I’m at Aether Paradise. Nanu’s here and badly hurt. Gladion’s here, and so is Team Rocket.”

“What?” On the other end of the phone, Goh released a long-suffering sigh, and Ash had to bite down a chuckle. “Trouble magnet, that’s what you are. Are you safe?”

Pikachu chimed in, “Pika pikapi.” 

It must have answered Goh’s question because he continued, “Listen, I think Team Rocket wants to catch Ho-Oh. I’m going after it, but if you need me, I can be there in a flash.”

Ash had reached the door to Nanu’s room and let his forehead hit the paneling with a soft thunk. He did not ask how Goh had come to the conclusion that there was yet another legendary Pokemon in Alola. Ash desperately wanted Goh by his side, this second, always-- but he also wanted to wrap him in bubble wrap and throw him on a plane back to Kanto. He did not want Goh anywhere near Team Rocket, and anyway, it sounded like Goh could be more useful elsewhere. “Tell me you’re not going alone.”

“Actually, I’m forming quite a team.” Before Ash could ask what _that_ meant, Goh asked, “Do you know someone named Guzma? He seems to know you.”

“Uh, yeah. He’s not bullying you, is he?” Ash had not crossed paths with his former rival for a few years, but Lillie recently mentioned that Guzma had turned things around, whatever that meant. “Actually, you should meet his Golisopod.”

“I want one,” Goh said, and even Pikachu laughed at that.

Still smiling into his phone, Ash pushed the door open. His smile dropped immediately. Mandibuzz rested where Ash had left her, monitors beeped steadily beside Nanu’s cot, but Blissey and Comfey had disappeared.

In their place, Ellis lounged in a chair with his feet propped on Nanu’s cot. He still wore the bomber jacket and red jeans from earlier, but now he balanced a gallon-sized jar in one hand. Inside it, Gengar banged a tightly-compacted fist against the glass.

“I have to go,” Ash said. “Say hi to Ho-Oh for me.” 

“Huh? Ash, wait, did something--” Ash hung up before Goh could pick up any clues. 

Ellis waggled his fingers, wobbling Gengar’s jar in the process. “Hey, champ. Missing something?”


	16. Shellder

Mew was doing something strange. 

After the news of Team Rocket taking over Aether Paradise and Ash suddenly dropping their call, Goh couldn’t chase after Ho-Oh. Pikachu had been confident that he could keep Ash safe, but Goh knew how kind Ash could be. Team Rocket wasn’t. Goh couldn’t help worrying.

To his surprise, Guzma backed him up. “Guess we better check it out. Mattie, you coming?” 

“Don’t call me that,” Matori snapped. “No, our focus needs to remain on finding Ho-Oh first. I won’t stop you, but I’m heading straight for Malie Garden.”

“In that case…” Goh tried to remove the bell from his wrist, but Matori stopped him.

“You keep it,” she said. “Go play hero, and join me in Malie as soon as you can.”

Of course, that still left the practical matter of transportation. Guzma called for Ride Pokemon, but with the Alolan League letting out soon, there was a delay in service. They decided to wait outside the Pokemon Center. Goh dropped to the nearest bench while Matori drew Guzma into a heated discussion about the fastest route to take. 

Goh tried to focus on what Guzma was saying, but he only caught the words “catch” and “storm” before his attention wandered. His thoughts strayed back to a summer day, snow cones, and an unexpected battle against Zapdos. Pikachu had done that funny dance when he absorbed Zapdos’s lightning.

His mind drifted over his adventures in the Slumbering Weald, the brush of warm fur against his face the first time he hugged Cinderace, the weight in his stomach on the plane ride home because Ash convinced him to entrust Eternatus to Leon’s care…

A finger poked his forehead. “Are you even awake?”

Goh jerked upright. Guzma huffed out a laugh. “You did hit your head earlier. We don’t need to worry about a concussion, do we?” He said it as a joke, but Matori assured him that wasn’t the case.

Goh could already feel his mind drifting again, this time to Cello Island and the Gyarados who had soared in an arc over his head. Ash had caught his hand and helped him across the river, but they still got swept away in the current… Memories of that journey flickered by like images in a flipbook.

“Like a book,” Goh murmured to himself. So that’s what it was-- Mew reading his memories. Just as an image of Cerise Park floated to the top of his mind, Goh reached up to pluck Cutiefly out of his hair. “Hey, cut it out. I can’t think when you do that. 

In the palm of his hand, Cutiefly pressed two spindly legs under its beak and released that familiar giggle. Goh probably should have been mad about someone poking around his brain, but it was Mew, after all.

“What was that?” Guzma leaned closer, and Goh cupped his hands protectively around Cutiefly. “That’s no ordinary bug.”

When Goh failed to come up with an explanation, Matori folded her arms and sighed. “Tell him. You can trust Guzma.”

“Like I trust you?”

“Huh?” Guzma looked back and forth between them. “I thought you two were friends.”

“We’re not,” they said simultaneously. Guzma shrugged. 

Then Cutiefly squirmed out of Goh’s hands and poofed back to its original form. Mew floated around Guzma’s shoulders and curiously tugged his hair. For his part, Guzma accepted the transformation with surprising calm. He crooked a thumb at Mew. “What kinda Pokemon is this?” 

Goh’s jaw dropped open. He had never met anyone who didn’t recognize Mew. As the ancestor of all Pokemon, its presence suffused legends and children’s fairy tales alike. 

Matori explained, “Mew is a mythical Pokemon said to possess the genes of all Pokemon. Consider yourself lucky. Only a handful of people in the world have ever seen it.” Then she raised an eyebrow at Goh. “Not everyone can recite the Pokedex from memory. Don’t be a snob.” 

“Says the person who just recited a Pokedex entry.” Goh watched Mew twirl around Guzma. Then Guzma patted its head, and Mew shrank back with a hiss. It floated back to Goh’s side and transformed once again. Goh had to catch the Shellder out of midair. “Why this form now?” he asked. Mew waggled Shellder’s tongue.

Guzma checked his ride pager. “Still another half hour.”

Goh sighed. “That’s so long.” If Ash had run into trouble, it would be long over before Goh reached him. There had to be another way. He tilted Shellder’s face upward. “Can you teleport us there?” Shellder clamped its shell shut.

Well, there was one other way. He pulled out his phone, found the number for Professor Burnet’s work, and hit “call.” Then he handed the phone to Matori with a stern look. “I’ll meet you in Malie City, so no more texts, please. Rotom, don’t let her make copies of anything.” Rotom buzzed his agreement.

Guzma crossed his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Finding a faster ride.” Goh released Porygon-Z. “Hey, Zee, I need a favor.”

“You again,” Ash snarled. Pikachu’s cheeks crackled with electric rage. Across the room, Ellis propped his feet on Nanu’s hospital cot and balanced a jar full of Gengar in one hand. “Didn’t I just talk to you?”

“Actually, you kept us waiting.” Ellis nodded toward a clock on the wall. The hour hand was closing in on five. “How long does it take to grab some lunch?”

Ash suddenly felt dizzy. He hoped the disorientation didn’t show on his face, but judging from Ellis’s infuriating smile, it did. Dialga must have stretched time during their battle. No wonder his arm ached so badly; his pain medicine would have worn off by now. Kukui would scold him for not taking it on time.

“Relax.” Ellis opened the jar. Gengar flew across the room and hid behind Ash’s legs. “I’m not here to fight you.”

“You sure?” Ash placed a hand on Gengar’s head. With Gengar back at his side, frightened but apparently unharmed, Ash could focus on Nanu. The kahuna’s shallow breath and grey complexion worried him, but Ash would feel better if Ellis would step away. 

“Nah, one loss is enough for today.” Ellis removed his feet and tapped his fingers along the edge of the bed. “You’ve heard, right? Team Rocket’s taken the Aether Foundation. Imagine my surprise when I learned that you brought an injured man into the heart of the operation.”

“Giovanni did this.” Ash met Ellis’s eyes. “Your boss tried to kill my friend.”

Ellis abruptly stopped drumming his fingers. So he hadn’t known. “He must have his reasons. Guess I should have let the lackeys take care of him then.” Ash took a sharp breath, and Ellis shook his head. “I didn’t mean that. Anyway, I hold no grudge against him, and I figured you’d be along. Since I was already here, I figured I might as well return _that._ ” Ellis pointed to Gengar, who stuck out a tongue in response.

Ash frowned. “You were already here. Why?”

“Actually, I didn’t mean to end up here at all. It’s the strangest thing.” Ellis spread his hands open. “I was chasing a lead, and just as I closed in, there was a flash of light. Next thing I know, I was flying over the ocean. I stopped off here to regroup after I noticed my tagalong clinging to--”

Ellis was interrupted by Gladion’s arrival. At his feet, his Umbreon’s fur stood on end. “Ash, we need to move.” He glanced at Ellis and frowned. “Huh? The Pyroar trainer?”

“He works for Team Rocket,” Ash said.

“What?” Gladion’s face hardened. “Get away from Nanu. We’ve already defeated one enemy, and the rest of the Ultra Guardians are on their way.”

“They are?” Ash looked to Pikachu, who shrugged. They thought the Ultra Guardians had been disbanded years ago.

Ellis finally rolled to his feet. “We don’t need to be enemies. I was serious about making Alola a better, safer place.”

Gladion said, “You have a lot of nerve claiming the moral high ground while trespassing and holding hostages. Speaking of which, where are Blissey and Comfey?”

“In the president’s mansion, alongside the rest of the Aether employees. Go ahead and rescue them if you like, but we’ve already collected all the data we need.” Ellis turned back to Ash. “I’ve seen revolutions before. I’m fine with dirty tactics as long as it keeps bloodshed to a minimum. Now, it’s time I get going.”

Gladion blocked Ellis’s path to the door. “You can’t seriously think we’re going to let you walk out of here.” 

Ellis held up a communication device, the same kind that they had taken off Cyrus. “Oh, you will-- unless you want half of Team Rocket running down here. I don’t think your pal’s up to the fight.” 

They all looked to Nanu, still unresponsive. Ellis sidestepped Gladion and left.

It felt like a loss.


	17. Shiinotic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, thank you for the comments, and hope you enjoy. <3

As Ash and Gladion debated how to move Nanu, the kahuna stirred awake with a hoarse whisper, “The kid…” Ash looked to Gladion, who shook his head; to Nanu, his mother probably qualified as a kid. 

Ash crouched beside Nanu while Pikachu patted the man’s forehead. “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

“Like a ton of rocks came down on me.” Nanu struggled upright. It spoke volumes that he accepted Ash’s support without any snark. The sheets fell away, revealing Blissey’s work. Bandages wrapped around most of his torso and part of either arm. Ash found Nanu’s battered police jacket and helped him button it over the damage.

Nanu’s eyes flickered from Mandibuzz to Ash’s yellow arm cast. Gengar still clung to one of Ash’s legs. Ash’s and Gladion’s clothes were still damp from their battle earlier. Nanu sighed. “Our team’s not doing so well, is it?”

Ash hated to agree. Instead he said, “Don’t count us out yet.”

Gladion leaned his head out into the hall. “Incoming,” he warned, about ten seconds before their friends crowded into the room.

It was amazing how quickly things moved after that. Kiawe cajoled Nanu upright, letting the kahuna use him as a crutch. Lana collected Mandibuzz, and Lillie raided the cabinets for Potions to heal any injured Pokemon, starting with Pikachu.

Meanwhile, Mallow pulled Ash into a one-armed hug that ended abruptly with a squawk. “Ugh! Why are you wet?”

Before Ash could answer, Gladion interrupted. “We don’t have time for that. You heard that Ellis guy, right? Team Rocket stole some kind of information, so they don’t have a reason to stay here. What happens to our people when they leave?”

All eyes flew to Nanu. “Let’s hurry,” Kiawe said.

The group followed Gladion to the staff elevator. Along the way, they sketched out a rescue plan. Lana’s Primarina would Sing the guards to sleep. Kiawe and Nanu would stay with her to provide backup. Since Lillie and Gladion knew the floorplan of their mother’s mansion, they would sneak inside to release Lusamine and any other employees. Meanwhile, Ash and Mallow would split off to investigate the conservation area and research facilities to find out what Team Rocket stole. 

Before they split off, Ash asked, “What happened to Cyrus?”

“I left Silvally guarding him in the Aether holding cell,” Gladion said. Ash grimaced. A few summers ago, as part of an ill-conceived prank, Ash had ended up in that cell for about five minutes before Melmetal made a snack of the bars. He doubted it would keep someone like Cyrus for long, even with Silvally keeping watch.

Nanu sighed. “Let me borrow one of your phones. I’ll call Jenny and have her handle arrests and what-not.”

With that settled, Ash and Mallow split off. The conservation area always reminded Ash of Cerise Park: Pokemon everywhere, from the Wishiwashi schooling in the water to the Bounsweet that hopped around Mallow’s legs. A pair of Herdier seemed to be standing guard by the entrance, but otherwise, the Pokemon didn’t seem to have noticed any disruption. 

Pikachu balanced on the handrail of one of the bridges crisscrossing the area. “Pika pika?” Ash remembered standing at the same handrail years ago, the first time he brought Goh to Aether Paradise. Goh had grumbled all morning about Ash bringing him to the one place in Alola where they couldn’t catch any Pokemon, but then Professor Burnet was called away last minute and left them in charge of watching Rei. At the time, Rei had only been two or three. Goh spent the rest of the day touring around with a bossy toddler balanced on his hip. They only paused to pet Cottonee, feed berries to Pikipek, or to ask Ash if he was getting heat stroke because his face had turned Tamato red.

Even back then, the sight of Goh toting around a young child had left Ash’s heart fluttering in confusing ways-- and that had been years before Ash admitted his feelings. Even now the thought left his heart fluttering all over again. Pikachu must have known this because he snickered. 

Luckily, Mallow stayed on task. She found a directory that listed the resident Pokemon and corrected one entry-- “Lillie said they released that Hakamo-o the other day,” she said as she crossed it off the list. 

“You really know your way around,” Ash said, and she shrugged. “Hey, I wanted to ask… are the Ultra Guardians still around?” After hearing Gladion use the title earlier, Ash had been feeling left out. He hated to ask in the middle of their current situation, but he still wanted to know.

“Not officially, but we’re still friends. We keep tabs on each other.” Mallow looked up with a wry smile. “As Lana says, Ultra Guardians sounds way cooler than former classmates. Don’t worry, you and Sophocles are still part of the club. We’re not the kind of people who get hung up on distance, after all.” 

Ash smiled back. He guessed traveling through Ultra Space did give them a warped sense of distance. “Thanks. That makes me feel better.”

A few minutes later, Mallow confirmed, “Whatever Team Rocket stole, it wasn’t a Pokemon. That’s a relief.”

Ash nodded. “Weird, though… I’ve never known Team Rocket to pass up the chance to steal a rare Pokemon.” 

“Don’t look a gift Mudsdale in the mouth,” Mallow said. “Come on, let’s check out the labs… huh?”

Pikachu pointed overhead. “Pika?” About three stories up, Ash spotted the windows of Professor Burnet’s lab. There was a flash of blue light inside, and the glass exploded outward.

“Well, there they are,” Ash said. 

Goh dove for the nearest trash can and emptied his stomach. He was vaguely aware of Zee whining at his shoulder and Cinderace popping out of his Pokeball to rub Goh’s back… but then Shellder licked the side of his face, sending a full body shiver down his spine. Ick.

It didn’t matter how often Goh had practiced using Porygon-Z’s ability to travel via internet connection. Every trip left him miserable and motion sick. It was a testament to how much Goh cared about Ash that he would travel with Zee and risk the side effects.

Side effects that did not bother everyone, apparently. Guzma paced around the room. Judging from the sterile white walls and the crayon drawings over the desk, they had succeeded in reaching Professor Burnet’s workstation. One wall of windows overlooked the conservation area, but Guzma kept opening doors to look up and down the hall. “Where is everyone? They can’t all be at the League.”

Goh shoved himself upright. Ash had seen Team Rocket at Aether Paradise, but now that they had arrived, Goh realized he had not asked how many. For all they knew, there could be an army assembling outside. Goh checked on Cinderace, who shrugged-- he did not hear anything.

Guzma stomped back to the center of the room. “What are we looking for, anyway?”

Goh wanted to say, “Ash,” but he studied the lab. He recognized Burnet’s desk by the crayon drawings hung above the computer. The chair had been pushed away from the desk, and the screen displayed a weather map. Goh scrolled down the page to Burnet’s notes, dating from the storm that wrecked Manalo Stadium to the next day’s forecasted rain. 

Rain… The bell on his wrist jingled as Goh reached into his pocket. Miraculously, he had managed to hold on to the Rainbow Wing. Goh clicked on the weather map and watched the digital clouds roll across the map of Alola. The next day, the clouds would pass over Malie City just before sunset.

Cinderace and Zee crowded around to look over his shoulder, but before Goh could dig further, a reflection caught his eye. He turned.

A blue flame blasted toward them. Shellder squirmed out of his arms and used Protect, blocking the attack with its shell. Fire streamed past them in an arc. Across the room, Golisopod crossed his arms to protect Guzma from the blast. Windows shattered along the far wall. Flaming bits of loose paper fluttered to the ground. 

Shellder hung midair for a moment, floating with Mew’s psychic power, before Goh thought to catch it in his arms. “Thank you,” he said. “Was that the same thing that attacked us before?” Shellder blew a raspberry, which seemed to mean no.

Cinderace pointed. In front of the windows stood a trainer wearing a black shirt with a rainbow-hued “R” on the front. The young man sported thick eyebrows, a thick green ponytail, and a puzzle cube hanging from a chain on his belt. Beside him stood a white dragon, feathered wings spread wide and gaping maw still glowing from the Blue Flare.

Goh felt his mouth go dry. The rational part of his brain continued to puzzle through the scenario: this must be Ghetsis, recruited from a parallel world by Giovanni; the dragon must be Reshiram, legend of Unova with all the speed and power of a jet plane; and he was totally screwed.

Guzma had not realized their predicament yet. He cracked his neck and hunched his shoulders forward, and suddenly, he was just as intimidating as the Golisopod beside him. “Where the hell’d you come from, huh? Better not be causing problems for the Prez.”

Ghetsis’s eyes flicked toward Guzma. “Is that why you two are scurrying about? You needn’t concern yourselves. In fact, if you surrender your Pokemon now, I’ll take you directly to see the president.” 

“After you tried to roast us? No, thanks.” Guzma smirked as if he actually stood a chance in this fight.

Goh knew better. He hugged Shellder to his chest, and even that little bit of movement made the bell on his wrist tinkle. Reshiram’s blue eyes flashed as the dragon swiveled toward him. The dragon’s head nearly brushed the ceiling, and when it crouched forward, its long neck stretched halfway across the lab. Goh could smell the sulfur on its breath. 

Reshiram stared at him… no, at Mew, still disguised as Shellder. Its gaze was solemn, almost regretful.

Then Reshiram rolled sideways with the force of a Hyper Beam.

Cinderace yanked Goh backward. His ankle caught on Burnet’s office chair, and he stumbled, barely catching himself on the edge of the desk. Cinderace and Zee hovered in front of him, almost blocking his view. 

He glimpsed Dragonite carrying Ash in her arms and Mallow on her back. Guzma tackled Ghetsis and shouted, “Call it off!” Any other words were drowned out by Reshiram’s enraged roar, so loud that the sound vibrated the floor. 

With his ears still ringing, Goh braced himself for a battle of draconic proportions, an inferno. What he didn’t expect was a shower of sparkling green powder. Cinderace drooped first, and Goh caught him around the middle when he stumbled. Shellder’s tongue stretched out as it yawned, and Zee sank slowly toward the floor.

Goh’s heart jackhammered with panic even as his own eyes drooped. Across the room, Guzma shuffled away from Ghetsis, already asleep on the floor. Reshiram struggled to stand, but even the dragon had turned sluggish with sleep.

Goh could hear Ash’s voice, but he drifted off before he could make sense of the words.

The words Goh didn’t hear, as it turned out, were: “Did you have to put everyone to sleep?”

Mallow huffed, hands on her hips and lips tilted up in a pout. “Really? Would you rather we fought, and someone got hurt? You should be thanking us.” 

He should, Ash knew. Ash had panicked when he spotted Goh face-to-face with yet another legendary Pokemon. He was lucky to have a friend like Mallow, who kept her cool and saved them what would have no doubt turned into an ugly battle. Even now, Ash could not help staring around the destroyed lab: scorched papers and broken equipment scattered across the floor, Guzma and Ghetsis dozing near the shattered windows, Dragonite and Reshiram snoring on opposite ends of the lab.

Mallow’s Shiinotic paused in front of Ash and held up a pale, root-like finger. Ash crouched down so that Shiinotic could touch Pikachu’s forehead, and Pikachu startled awake. “Cha?”

“Thank you,” Ash said, meeting Shiinotic’s eyes and then Mallow’s. “Really. You’re the best.”

Mallow called Shiinotic over to Dragonite, and the purple-capped Pokemon poked Dragonite on the nose. Ash glimpsed a glimmer of light passing down Shiinotic’s finger into Dragonite’s skin. “Sharing our strength,” Mallow explained. “Just a little, to wake everyone.” 

“ _Thank you,_ ” Ash repeated, hoping she understood how grateful he truly felt. 

Eager as he was to rush to Goh’s side, Ash first bent down next to Ghetsis and confiscated a handful of Master Balls. He was startled to recognize a familiar face among the Pokemon inside. Ash returned Reshiram and released Tapu Koko, who happily trilled and twirled upon being set free. Pikachu cheered at the sight of their old friend.

“Tapu Koko?!” Mallow gasped. The island guardian bowed solemnly in thanks, and Mallow awkwardly returned the bow. Ash saw the moment that Mallow’s surprise hardened into anger. Melemele Island was her home. Team Rocket had stolen its guardian, and for that, Ash could see that they had earned a new enemy. He almost felt sorry for them.

Tapu Koko bid its farewells and flew out the window. After that, Ash was finally free to wake up Goh. 

It was hard to believe that they had only been apart for a few hours. Ash hesitated next to his sleeping partner, leaning against the front of Burnet’s desk with his shoulder resting against Cinderace. Somewhere in those few hours, Goh had acquired a Shellder, a fresh set of scrapes and bruises, and a bell tied around his wrist. Like a lost Skitty, Ash thought. They had only been apart for a few hours, but he felt a pang like homesickness. He gently cupped a hand around Goh’s cheek.

Pikachu was less patient. He clapped a paw over Ash’s hand and shocked everyone: Goh, his Pokemon, and Ash too for good measure. “What was that for?” Ash demanded, at the same time Goh jerked upright. Their foreheads knocked together, hard enough that Ash fell back on his behind.

Goh blinked owlishly at him, apparently not fully awake yet. Then a slow smile lit up his face. “You’re okay.”

Warmth spread across Ash’s chest. “I am now.”

He wasn’t sure which of them moved, only that their lips met and that warmth rushed all the way down to Ash’s toes. Goh’s fingers tangled in his hair, knocking his hat off and pulling him closer. Nerves, jarred by the electric shock, were soothed; his racing heart slowed and steadied. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Ash wondered why he had ever tried to keep Goh away because it was obvious, in this moment, that they were meant to be together, right here, always.

“You two are so dramatic.”

All gratitude vanished as Ash broke away to glare at Mallow for ruining the moment. “You’re just jealous.”

“Of you codependent lovebirds? No way.” Mallow chuckled at the sight of Goh’s face turning bright red. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Hi,” Goh squeaked. Cinderace and Zee both laughed, but Ash found it so charming that he couldn’t resist smooching the side of Goh’s face, right above his little scar. Goh might have made an “ick” sound, but his smile gave him away.

Just then, Guzma shuffled over. “Hey. So, anyone going to explain what’s going on?”


	18. Illumise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, there's a scene below that gets pretty suggestive, but nothing graphic-- as promised, there will be no NSFW scenes in this fic.
> 
> Please let me know what you think-- I love to read your comments!

“I’m right beside you,” Goh murmured. He had ducked under Ash’s arm, surreptitiously holding up the tired champion. Ash had insisted that he was “fine, really,” but Goh could read his exhaustion by the way his brash grin had dimmed to a gentle smile and by the way Ash kept glancing back and forth as if he wasn’t quite following the conversation.

Goh wasn’t following the conversation either. Ash’s exhaustion would have been distraction enough, but also Mew had vanished. The noisy arrival of their friends had startled Mew into invisibility. Not even Ash had noticed Shellder’s disappearance, but Cinderace kept ears peeled for a sound too subtle for Goh to catch. He hoped that meant Mew hadn’t gone far. 

Ash did notice that Zee had disappeared, but when he asked about it, Goh tapped a finger over his lips and turned toward the argument brewing between Lusamine and Nanu. 

Judging from her white jogging suit and braided hair, the Aether Foundation president had not expected company, let alone an invasion. Nanu-- who, to hear Ash tell it, was fresh off his death bed-- nevertheless butted heads with her over police reports, insurance, and repair schedules. 

Behind their mother, Lillie and Gladion hovered with matching expressions of concern. To Goh’s surprise, Guzma ruffled Gladion’s hair in a way that would have resulted in an amputation if it were anyone else. Gladion threatened as much, but since he looked as exhausted as Ash, the warning was toothless.

Kiawe, sitting cross-legged on the floor between Lana and Mallow, had reassured everyone that Team Rocket had left only a handful of guards, so the hostages had been recovered without injury to anyone. Officer Jenny had already transferred the Team Rocket members to the Melemele police station. Mallow reminded them that they still didn’t know how many operatives Giovanni had at his disposal, and that worry hung over them like an axe.

Lana broke the tension. “So, what happened to you, Mr. Soaked?” Goh and Ash both started talking at once, which resulted in a round of chuckles.

“Why are you wet?” Goh asked. So Ash told everyone about talking with Ellis, discovering Nanu at the vandalized ruins, and the battle against Cyrus. When Ash mentioned that Dialga and Palkia didn’t seem to be at full power, Goh took note. Reshiram had not acted like a Pokemon looking for a fight, but rather looking to avoid one. 

When Ash finished, he nudged Goh to share his version of the afternoon. Goh tried to gloss over the more dangerous bits, only for Guzma to point out that he missed the part where Matori arrived in Po Town with a couple hurt Pokemon and an unconscious brat trainer. Goh made a “cut it out” motion with his hand. Guzma smirked, but at least he did not mention Mew.

“Matori’s here?” Ash asked, voice neutral but eyes cutting sideways. Goh grimaced. He had hoped to ease that information onto Ash, not drop it on him like a bomb. 

Oblivious, Guzma continued, “You know her? She’s been helping out with youth outreach. Not the cheeriest lady, but she keeps the program running smooth and doesn’t take lip from the kids.”

Ash looked like his head might actually explode. Goh tried to edge away, only for Ash to tighten his grip around Goh’s shoulders. Admittedly, the idea of his former kidnapper working with children made Goh’s stomach flip over, but right now, she was alone and on her way to Malie Gardens. Goh needed to meet her there, and he wanted Ash to come with him. 

Goh wouldn’t have blamed Ash for yelling at him right then and there, in front of everyone, but Ash caught him by surprise. “So that’s why you left me behind,” he said, voice pitched low enough that only Goh could hear. “Not because of my arm?”

“What? No.” Goh glanced across the room to Nanu, still bickering with Lusamine. Matori had been convinced that Nanu worked for Giovanni, but the bandages poking out from under his shirt proved otherwise. Not wanting to admit that he had doubted Nanu, Goh butted his forehead against Ash’s shoulder. “I didn’t want to leave you at all.”

Goh’s words seemed to knock the legs from under Ash’s anger. With an almost inaudible huff, Ash adjusted to rest his chin on the top of Goh’s head. “Don’t be cute. You’re not off the hook yet.”

Maybe not, but Zee reappeared with another distraction. As the Porygon-Z darted back to Cinderace, the printer on Burnet’s desk began to spill papers onto a floor still strewn with ash and debris. Kiawe and Mallow scrambled to gather the papers. One sheet floated to Gladion’s feet, and he recognized the coordinates of Ultra Wormhole appearances. “Oh yeah, this is what we were supposed to find for the professors, right, Ash?” Mallow offered a page to Ash, but the list of numbers meant nothing to him.

“What do you need all that for?” Guzma met Goh’s eyes. “You already know where you need to go.”

“You do?” Ash asked.

Goh didn’t want to leave without finding Mew, but if his hunch was right, they didn’t have time to spare. “I need to get back to Malie City. Will you come with me?”

And there it was, Ash’s smile widening into a full-on grin. “As if you need to ask.”

By the time Ash and Goh reached Malie Gardens, the sun dipped low in the sky, and the colored lanterns started to glow like so many Illumise around the city. The gates had been chained closed for the night, but Dragonite dropped them off at the foot of the observation tower. 

Ash had not been looking forward to flying again with his arm aching in its sling, but with Goh along, he had been able to ride on Dragonite’s back rather than in her arms. Actually, he spent the flight with Goh’s arms tight around his waist, which would have been far more comforting if Goh would just quit talking.

As soon as they were alone, Goh had spilled out everything: Matori snatching him from the stadium, finding the crater Ho-Oh left in the side of Mount Lanakila, Lugia turning out to be Mew instead, being attacked by an unknown Pokemon and waking up in Po Town. The longer Goh talked, the deeper the fear rooted in Ash’s belly. It was like Goh had plucked the nightmares from Ash’s head and lived them out in real life.

Ash could have lost him. Not just once, but a dozen times over. Worst of all, if anything had happened, Ash would have been too far away to help… would not have known until too late. 

Goh must have noticed Ash’s anxiety because the conversation suddenly turned into a round of questions: why Ash didn’t fall asleep after Shiinotic’s Spore (he covered his nose and held his breath), what he thought about the rainbow-hued Rocket uniforms (he had the feeling Sophocles would like the design), and whether he believed Giovanni would be waiting for them ahead. Ash had almost calmed down until Goh asked that last question, which sent his heart racing again.

So when they landed, Ash told Dragonite to take a good rest, checked that Pikachu wasn’t feeling motion sick (he wasn’t)... and then grabbed a handful of Goh’s shirt and pressed him against the side of the observation tower.

Ash pinned him there, hand still wrapped in Goh’s shirt, and kissed the daylights out of him. The cast pressed between their stomachs, and the arm _ached_ , but Ash refused to give an inch. Goh wouldn’t let him, anyway; after his initial surprise, Goh’s hands knotted into the fabric on either side of Ash’s waist, locking him in place. Ash hummed his approval.

Ash tugged Goh’s bottom lip between his teeth, and Goh’s head knocked against the wall behind him. Ash had just enough sense left to notice the red-gold glow of the sunset on Goh’s skin, and then Goh’s mouth is open against his and Ash is pouring all of his desperation into the heat between them. 

When Ash broke away to trail kisses along Goh’s jawline, Goh asked, “Are you trying to make up for not wishing me luck earlier?” 

Ash snorted a laugh. “You’re lucky enough.”

Goh would have liked to get luckier, judging from those smoldering blue eyes and the eyebrow that arched in silent challenge. Ash huffed another laugh, this one softer and breathier, as he pressed their foreheads together. He adored this man so much… wanted to breathe him in and fill his lungs with him.

But before he could take things any further, someone cleared her throat behind them.

Goh’s hands jerked away like they’d been burned. Ash gave him a wry grin-- what, now he was shy?-- before turning around. 

“Are you two quite finished?” Matori had fixed her eyes to the Rotom phone in her hand, and Ash got some petty delight out of making her uncomfortable. At least, he did until he recognized that the Rotom phone belonged to Goh, who scrambled out from behind Ash to retrieve it. 

Ash reached after Goh but stopped before actually grabbing him. They had been partners long enough that Ash knew Goh could not accept Ash’s protection, no matter how well-intentioned. He had zero doubt that Matori intended to use Goh for her own purposes, but he stomped down all his fears. This time, she would have to go through him. He would not stand in Goh’s way, but he would not leave his side.

Goh might not have noticed Ash’s inner turmoil, but after he retrieved the phone, Matori took a step back and tucked her hands away. 

“You okay, Rotom?” A thumbs-up emoji flashed across the screen, and Goh’s face lifted toward Matori. “Did you find anything?”

“I’m not sure yet. Open your app.” She pointed toward the screen, already open to the Aura Reader. Ash edged closer, and Pikachu climbed to his shoulder for a better view. The scanner showed a jagged starburst shape near the center of the map.

Ash didn’t ask how Goh had fixed the scanner, sure that he wouldn’t understand anyway. He looked up at the tower, five stories of green eaves and yellow lanterns. “Guess it’s up there?”

Goh stepped toward the door, but this time Ash caught him by the shoulder. Matori caught his eyes and stepped around them. She led the way without complaint. Goh shook Ash off and hurried to catch up. When Ash followed, he noticed that he wasn’t the only one keeping a watchful eye. Pikachu stared at Matori with equal suspicion.

Climbing five stories sounded like torture when all Ash wanted was a nap, but he pushed forward. Halfway up, he realized that he had not kept in shape this past year, and by the fourth floor, he was dreading any fight they might find waiting ahead of them.

Goh walked with one eye on his phone, so when the signal disappeared from the scanner, he noticed right away. “No!” He dashed ahead of Matori, and the bell on his wrist made a racket in the process. Whatever waited at the top of the tower would hear them coming. With a tired groan, Ash forced himself to climb faster.

During their climb, the sun had dipped under the horizon, and the first stars peeked out of the dimming sky. A wooden rail topped with golden Pokeball designs ran around the edge of the observation deck. Normally there would be dozens of tourists leaning over it to take in the view, but tonight they had the place to themselves. Bridges crisscrossed the lake below, and the gardens sprawled from the foothills almost down to the shoreline. Even this high up, the air was scented with sea salt and flowers.

Goh paced all the way around the tower, but he found no sign of any Pokemon. Luckily, there was no sign of Team Rocket, either. Goh released Cinderace from his Pokeball and asked if he could hear anything, but Cinderace shrugged. Goh poked at his phone with a crestfallen look. “What happened? Something was here, and it just vanished.”

Pikachu sighed with a relief that Ash felt in his bones. He had been dreading another battle. If his arm hadn’t been full-on throbbing, he would have been worried about falling asleep on his feet. 

Matori approached Goh but stopped short of touching him. “The bell isn’t ringing,” she said.

Goh held up his wrist and frowned at the silent bell. “Oh, sure. It rings every other time.”

“So what does it mean?” Matori asked, nodding toward the Aura Reader. “Did we miss our chance?”

“No. The weather conditions aren’t right. Ho-Oh appears alongside rainbows. If Prof-- I mean,” Goh stumbled, apparently not wanting to provide names to Matori, “if my predictions are correct, the conditions will be perfect tomorrow evening, just before sunset. That’s when Ho-Oh should appear.”

“And when Giovanni will strike,” Matori said. “You said something was here. We should keep looking. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

That particular word brought a blush to Goh’s face, and he glanced toward Ash. “I don’t know…”

In the end, they lingered until well after nightfall. Matori resolved to search the gardens on foot for clues. Ash expected Goh to go along, but Goh decided they should wait at the top of the tower for a little longer. Matori had Goh’s phone number-- something that set Ash’s hackles up-- so she would contact him in the morning unless she found anything sooner.

As soon as Matori headed down the stairs, Ash sank down so that his legs dangled off the edge and his chin rested on the bottom railing. Cinderace and Pikachu cuddled to either side of him, so he must have looked pretty pathetic. Goh sat beside him with a sympathetic hum. “You look totally drained,” Goh said. “I say we wait another fifteen minutes, and if nothing shows up, we head back to the hotel.”

Ash shook his head. Lusamine had already asked all their friends to stay at Aether Paradise, and she had sent after their things from the hotel. “Safety in numbers and all that.”

“That makes sense… but can you handle another flight?” When Ash didn’t answer right away, Goh reached over to thread their fingers together. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Ash watched the stars twinkling overhead. With the sea breeze on his face and Pikachu starting to snore beside him, he could almost pretend that he was on the vacation he had intended to take. He closed his eyes to pretend.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Goh said, but Ash drifted off before he could agree.


	19. Rattata

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's been almost two months since I updated this. I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to start writing again-- post-viral syndrome is no joke, but I'm finally getting to the point of feeling human again. I do intend to see this story through to the end. Thank you so, so much to everyone who has commented and left kudos. It truly makes my day, every time. <3

Goh brushed a thumb across the edge of Ash’s hand. Wedged between the trainers, Pikachu had dozed off, and Cinderace gave a huge yawn as he swung his legs over the edge of the observation deck. Far below, Malie Garden shimmered with golden lantern light that reflected off the lake. Dewpider poked their heads above the water, Ledian buzzed through the tall grass, and a lone Hariyama rested beside the shuttered tea shop.

As enchanting as the scene was, Goh’s eyes kept straying back to Ash. He had been so worked up a few minutes ago, but now, even with legs dangling off the edge and his cheek smushed against the rail, Ash’s mouth hung slack with sleep. 

The day had rattled him, as much as anything ever rattled Ash, so Goh was in no rush to wake him up. He tried to pry his hand free, but even in his sleep, Ash tightened his grip and murmured something unintelligible. With an exasperated smile, Goh gave in and leaned his forehead against Ash’s shoulder. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours, huh?”

Goh had his theories, but for someone who claimed to be a simple guy, Ash remained a mystery, one that Goh planned on spending the rest of his life figuring out. But if he intended to do that… well, they needed to make it through tomorrow.

Goh didn’t see a way around it. If Ho-Oh actually appeared, so would Giovanni. They would have to face him again. The last time they had battled, Giovanni had tried to kill them, and they only escaped with Matori’s help. This time around, escape wouldn’t be an option.

Not with so many legendary Pokemon under Giovanni’s command. Even if Ash was right and they weren’t at full power, so many powerful Pokemon had to influence the region. Just as Zapdos cloaked itself in thunderstorms and flowers sprung to life wherever Xerneas stepped, legendary Pokemon earned the title because they embodied forces of nature. So many conflicting forces in one area, and things like typhoons and earthquakes happened.

Come to think of it, Ash had encountered plenty of legends over the years. So had Giovanni. They had seen firsthand what happened when humans meddled in the affairs of legendary Pokemon, so why, now, would Giovanni risk a natural disaster of mythic proportions? What goal could possibly be so important? 

Something worthy of crossing worlds… In his sleep, Ash tugged Goh’s hand closer. The motion interrupted Goh’s train of thought, and he turned his attention back to more practical matters. One-handed, he opened his phone.

He had missed a dozen messages: Cerise Park updates from Parker, requests for vacation photos from Chloe, and a voicemail from Ash’s mother that Goh wasn’t yet brave enough to listen to. He realized, with a lurch in his stomach, that the League match earlier had been televised, and she would have noticed Ash’s sling. Surely Ash had called her.

Kiawe had messaged an update from Aether. They had missed a tense moment. Even without his Pokemon, Ghetsis tried to escape by grabbing Lillie. The attempt was short-lived. Snowy tackled him, and Gladion took care of the rest. Kiawe didn’t spell out the details, but knowing how protective Gladion was of his sister, Goh almost felt bad for the villain.

With his messages read, if mostly unanswered, Goh flipped open the Aura Reader. He was still curious about the starburst shape that had appeared earlier. The shape had been eerily similar to the signal picked up whenever Mew was near, but as far as he knew, Mew was still wandering invisibly through Aether Paradise.

The Aura Reader picked up Cinderace and Pikachu, as well as a few dim signals from other Pokemon around the park, but there was no sign of psychic or Shadow activity. No sign of anything more powerful than Pikachu, really. Whatever had been at the tower, it had disappeared fast and without a trace.

With so many questions buzzing around his head and anxiety gnawing at his stomach, Goh almost missed it when Ash woke up with a shiver. The ocean breeze had picked up and turned chilly. “Brr. Time to call it a night, huh?”

_Five months earlier..._

Matori ducked into the alley with Kadabra at her heels. Matori reached for a Smoke Ball as Kadabra raised a taloned hand, ready to cast a Psychic attack if needed. They pressed back against the bricks and waited, almost holding their breath, as Nanu passed by on the street.

He never so much as glanced at them, but his very presence set Matori's nerves on edge. She had recognized his mug the moment she stepped foot in Po Town. If she intended to stay in town, she had to avoid catching his attention.

She knew she couldn't outrun Giovanni forever, but she needed time to prepare if she had any chance of surviving that fight. It had only been a week since she removed the bandage from Meowth's eye. 

Matori waited another thirty seconds, but when the police officer didn't double back, she released her breath and her grip on the Smoke Ball. No one had noticed them.

Or so she thought, before someone behind her asked, "You on the run?"

Kadabra hissed as he wheeled to face a man approaching them from the other end of the alley. He was freakishly tall and walked with a delinquent swagger that might have intimidated someone else. It actually made Matori a little homesick for the squad she had left behind.

When she didn't answer him, the man shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first. Hey... what's wrong with your Pokemon? Looks like it's taken a beating."

Matori glanced at Kadabra. His face had twisted into a defensive snarl, but she had taken him to the Pokemon Center not long ago. His health was fine. "What do you mean?" 

"Just a look in the eyes," the man said, coming to crouch in front of the Pokemon. "Kadabra always carries a spoon, right? So where's yours?" 

His words might have been directed at Kadabra, but Matori felt them like a knife. They had just come from the market. She had pointed out dozens of spoons to Kadabra, but nothing could replace the spoon that she'd taken from him early in the Shadowing process. Some things couldn't be forgiven.

But this was the first time someone else had noticed Kadabra's missing spoon. "Who are you?" 

"The name's Guzma." He reached across Kadabra to offer a handshake. "You're a new face around here, huh? Lemme show you around."

Guzma had done more than that. He helped her find a safer apartment and brought over some toys for Meowth to ignore. His friend Plumeria had cut her hair and introduced her to the youth outreach program. Matori took the job only because she had no other prospects, but keeping Guzma on task-- something that required a stiff spine and no small amount of bullying-- turned out to be almost as enjoyable as scaring straight Alolan’s troubled teens.

She told herself that she was keeping potential recruits away from Team Rocket, but really, she was curious to see how these punks turned their lives around: expressing their issues through words instead of fists, pouring energy into art instead of vandalism, and learning to train a Zubat with praise instead of threats.

It wasn't always easy-- more than once, she had witnessed Guzma comforting a kid reduced to tears of frustration-- but she secretly cheered them on. They still had a chance at becoming better people, leading better lives.

It was too late for her. Probably too late for Kadabra and Meowth. But those second chances were something worth fighting for.

Sneaking along the edge of Malie Garden, Matori recognized the Cutiefly-sized drones whirring about in the dark. When one drifted too close, Kadabra waved a claw and used his kinetic powers to crumple the drone like so much tin foil. Near the front gates, she glimpsed a Rocket goon disguised in plain clothes. The flashing red light on his earpiece gave him away.

Giovanni knew she was here. He would also know about Ash and Goh. They weren’t exactly subtle, lingering at the observation tower. Matori almost felt bad for involving them, but with so much at stake, she couldn’t be picky about her allies. Let Giovanni wonder what the Alolan Champion might do, and maybe he would overlook the researcher sneaking around the islands with Mew at his side. If anyone stood a chance of facing Ho-Oh and coming out unscorched… 

The undercover Rocket held a hand up to his ear, the amateur. Matori placed a hand on Kadabra’s shoulder. He teleported them to the other side of the gates, where they crouched behind a bush and listened in. “Second perimeter secure. Hoenn Squad in place. Roger.”

Second perimeter? Matori frowned. What, had Team Rocket placed agents around the entire city-- intending to take down Ho-Oh long before it reached the tower? In that case, she had to hurry. If she couldn’t find the legendary bird, at least she could ensure that these Rocket newbies didn’t find it first. 

She released Meowth. The light of the Pokeball caught the attention of the Rocket goon, but before he could radio an alert, Kadabra used his kinetic powers to crush the earpiece just like the drone before. The man yelped, clutching his ear, as Matori strode forward.

A purple-furred Rattata bristled at the man’s feet. Meowth sneered, revealing sharp fears, as he prowled toward it. “Adorable,” Matori said, “that you think you stand a chance. Tell us everything you know before we show you what a Rocket Admin is capable of.”

“You’re no Rocket. You’re a traitor.”

Matori copied Meowth’s sneer. “That’s right. Guess that means we have no need to hold back. Meowth, use Frustration.”


End file.
